Living a healthy lifestyle has many benefits, including lowering the risk of life-threatening diseases. As such, a new study argues that the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle on Earth is the healthiest lifestyle.
Mediterranean Lifestyle
The Mediterranean diet has long been linked with many health benefits since it consists of fruits, grains, vegetables, and fish. Aside from just diet, a new study reveals that the healthiest lifestyle in the world could be that of the Mediterranean.
The study suggests that the Mediterranean could lead to a healthier and longer life. This comes as a result of data from 110,779 people in the UK who all had specific dietary, socializing, and rest approaches.
According to Spain's Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health academics., these approaches were known to reduce the risk of all-cause and cancer mortality. This provides the first time the diet and lifestyle have been analyzed outside of its native country.
Risk of Mortality
The Mediterranean lifestyle consists of its diet, rest levels, and socialization. The study found that those with a higher Mediterranean lifestyle ranking also experienced a lower risk of all-cause mortality and cancer mortality.
On average, those who followed the lifestyle were 29% less at risk of all-cause mortality and 28% less at risk of cancer mortality. This is compared to those that scored least on the Mediterranean lifestyle chart.
The study involved questionnaires asking people what they ate daily. While they ranked high for the Mediterranean lifestyle, the real reason why they were at less risk of mortality was because of their rest, physical activity, conviviality, and social habits.
Mediterranean Lifestyle Explained
Aside from just eating healthy, the lifestyle consisted of things already known to be good for a person's health. It also emphasized getting enough sleep, talking and keeping up with friends, and limiting the total screen time.
However, some experts still disagree on frequent napping, suggesting that taking regular naps could result in a higher chance of death. The researchers need to investigate more into this area since napping involves many components like duration and time of day.
Despite the findings that those adhering to the Mediterranean are at lower risk of all-cause and cancer mortality, the studies still lack additional data and rigor to point out the direct cause and effect. Instead, they provide an interesting association suggesting a generally healthier lifestyle choice.
The researchers also highlight how modifiable behaviors like diet, physical activity, and consumption of alcohol all affect the prevention of premature deaths and non-communicable diseases.
The suggestion is that switching to a Mediterranean diet could be a healthier alternative to other eating habits. This also applies to the lifestyle in terms of sleep and socialization.
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