The Mediterranean diet, with its focus on healthy fats, seafood, and lots of veggies and fruit, has long been praised for its ability to reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease. But that’s not all it can do: Eating this way can contribute to weight loss even if you don’t actively try to restrict calories, according to a study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. (Hallelujah! Here’s why restrictive diets aren’t all that great, anyway.)
4. Chronic Disease Prevention
A 2017 paper published in Nutrition Today explored the ways the Mediterranean diet is linked to the prevention of chronic diseases. For one, those who follow it tend to have less body fat and a lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Second, eating this way and loading up on extra-virgin olive oil can also slash the risk of developing diabetes (by 40 percent for individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease). But the Mediterranean diet health benefits don’t stop there: It’s also been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and other cancers.
5. Increased Longevity
Given all of these Mediterranean diet health benefits, it’s no wonder the eating style could help you live longer. A 2014 study published in The BMJ found cellular differences between women who followed the Mediterranean diet plan and those who ate more meat and dairy, specifically regarding the length of telomeres, which are DNA sequences found on the end of chromosomes. The length of telomeres has an interesting relationship with aging: Short telomeres have been linked to a shorter life, while long telomeres may equate to a longer life, and these Mediterranean-diet followers had longer telomeres. (Convinced to give it a go? Try this seven-day Mediterranean diet the experts think everyone should follow.)
