Friday, December 5, 2014

Mediterranean Diet Is Good for Your DNA

The Mediterranean diet — high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and olive oil, and low in dairy products and meat — has long been touted for its health-promoting benefits. Now researchers have new clues why.

They found that the diet is associated with longer telomeres, the protective structures at the end of chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are associated with age-related chronic diseases and reduced life expectancy.

Researchers used data on 4,676 healthy women, part of a larger health study, whose diets were ranked on a scale of one to nine for similarity to the ideal Mediterranean diet. Researchers measured their telomere lengths with blood tests and followed them for more than 20 years with periodic examinations.


- More Here

No comments: