Researchers found that the Mediterranean diet reduced all-cause mortality in U.S. women by 23%, likely due to beneficial changes in metabolic and inflammatory markers, highlighting potential public health improvements.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital investigated and analyzed the underlying reasons why the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of total mortality in American women by 23 percent.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital investigated and evaluated potential mechanisms that could explain why American women who follow a Mediterranean diet have a 23 percent reduced risk of all-cause mortality.
Although the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet have been reported in several studies, long-term data on its effects in U.S. women is limited, and little is known about why the diet reduces mortality risk. In a new study that followed more than 25,000 initially healthy U.S. women for up to 25 years, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Massachusetts General Brigham Health System, found that participants who consumed more of the Mediterranean diet had up to a 23% lower risk of all-cause mortality, with benefits for both cancer and cardiovascular mortality. The researchers found evidence of biological changes that may help explain why. They found changes in metabolism, inflammation, and Insulin Resistance etc. The result is JAMA.
“Our study says that women who want to live longer would do well to watch what they eat. The good news is that following a Mediterranean dietary pattern reduced mortality risk by about a quarter over 25 years, potentially benefiting both cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality, the leading causes of death for women (and men) in the U.S. and around the world,” said lead author Samia Mora, MD, a cardiologist and director of the Brigham’s Center for Lipid Metabolism.
Dietary Details and Research Insights
The Mediterranean diet is a diverse, plant-based diet that is rich in plants (nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes). The main fat is olive oil (usually extra virgin). The diet includes moderate consumption of fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and alcohol, and rarely meat, sweets, and processed foods.
This study investigated the long-term effects of a Mediterranean diet in Americans. Women’s Health Researchand investigated biological mechanisms that may explain the diet’s health benefits. The researchers evaluated a panel of approximately 40 biomarkers representing various biological pathways and clinical risk factors.
Metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers contributed most significantly, followed by triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, obesity, and insulin resistance. Other biological pathways are related to branched-chain amino acids. amino acidThe contributions of high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, blood glucose level, and hypertension are small.
“Our study provides important public health insights: even small changes in established risk factors for metabolic disease – particularly those related to small molecule metabolites, inflammation, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, obesity and insulin resistance – confer significant long-term benefits from adhering to a Mediterranean diet. This finding highlights the possibility that encouraging healthier eating habits may reduce overall mortality risk,” said lead author Shafqat Ahmad, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at Uppsala University in Sweden and an investigator in the Brigham’s Center for Lipid Metabolism and Department of Preventive Medicine.
Study limitations and cultural adaptation
The current study identifies important biological pathways that may help explain all-cause mortality risk. However, the authors point out some important limitations, such as the study being limited to mostly non-Hispanic and white, middle-aged, highly educated, female health professionals. The study relied on food frequency questionnaires and self-reported measures such as height, weight, and blood pressure. However, the strengths of this study are its large size and long follow-up period.
The authors also note that as the Mediterranean diet concept has grown in popularity, the diet has been adopted by different countries and cultures.
“The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are recognised by medical experts and our study provides insight into why this diet is so beneficial. Public health policies should promote the healthy eating properties of the Mediterranean diet and discourage unhealthy adaptations,” said Mora.
Reference: “Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Women” by Shafqat Ahmad, M. Vinayaga Moorthy, I-Min Lee, Paul M Ridker, JoAnn E. Manson, Julie E. Buring, Olga V. Demler, Samia Mora, May 31, 2024, JAMA Network Open.
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.14322
The Women’s Health Study is supported by the NIH (grant numbers CA047988, HL043851, HL080467, HL099355, and UM1 CA182913). Dr. Ahmad was supported by a Career Start Research Grant from the Swedish Research Council (2022-01460) and FORMAS (2020-00989), and a research grant from EpiHealth, Sweden. Dr. Demler was supported by a K Award from the NHLBI of the NIH (grant number K01HL135342-02). Dr. Mora was supported by a research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (grant number DK112940). This work was funded by the NHLBI (grant numbers R01HL160799, R01HL134811, R01HL117861, and K24 HL136852), the American Heart Association (grant number 0670007N), and the Molino Family Trust. Additionally, LabCorp provided LipoProfile IV results to this study at no additional cost.
