Health
Mediterranean diet could help women live longer, Harvard study finds
The Mediterranean diet has long been linked to a bevy of health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and more — and now a new study has revealed a very specific new advantage for women.
In a long-running Harvard study published in JAMA Network Open, women who adhered to the heart-healthy, plant-focused diet were found to have a 23% lower risk of death from any cause.
The researchers attributed this lower mortality risk to improved cardiometabolic risk factors, according to the published study.
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The study included data collected from 25,315 healthy women who participated in the Women’s Health Study over a period of 25 years, from April 1993 to January 1996.
Their average age was 54.
Women who adhered to the heart-healthy, plant-focused diet were found to have a 23% lower risk of death from any cause. (iStock)
Researchers analyzed the women’s blood samples, biomarker measurements and self-reported dietary information from June 2018 to Nov. 2023.
Previous studies have also found associations between the Mediterranean diet and increased longevity, the researchers noted.
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“Another meta-analysis of 21 cohort studies, which included 883,878 participants, reported that higher Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with 21% reduced risk of CVD mortality,” they wrote.
What is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based nutrition plan that mimics the regional cuisines of the countries along the Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy and Greece.
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Primary foods in the diet include whole vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and herbs and spices, according to Mayo Clinic’s website.
Olive oil is the primary source of added fat.
Olive oil is the primary source of added fat in the Mediterranean diet. (iStock)
Other foods — including fish, poultry and dairy — can be incorporated in moderation.
The diet limits red meat, sweets, butter and sugary drinks.
The Mediterranean diet’s health benefits stem from limiting saturated fats, refined carbohydrates (including sugars) and sodium, as well as promoting healthy unsaturated fats, fiber and antioxidants, according to Cleveland Clinic’s website.
Experts highlight diet’s benefits
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the study but said it “confirms what we already know — that the Mediterranean diet decreases mortality.”
Siegel also told Fox News Digital, “Monounsaturated fats and antioxidants (polyphenols), which are high in the Mediterranean diet, decrease inflammation and are heart-healthy.”
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He added, “The alternative — saturated fats, salts and sugars — are not heart-healthy and increase the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer, all of which increase mortality risks.”
Processed foods and ultra-processed foods, which also increase mortality, are not found in the Mediterranean diet, he also noted.
Primary foods in the Mediterranean diet include whole vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and herbs and spices. (iStock)
New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade also reflected on the longevity-boosting benefits of the Mediterranean diet in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
“One big reason that the Mediterranean diet can improve overall health and reduce mortality risk is the benefit it has on visceral fat, or belly fat,” said Palinksi-Wade, who was not involved in the research.
Women who adhered to the Mediterranean diet were found to have a 23% lower risk of death from any cause.
“High levels of fat in the midsection have been found to worsen insulin resistance and increase the risk of disease from type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease,” she added.
By making dietary changes to reduce visceral fat, which include the eating principles of the Mediterranean diet, it is possible to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce disease risk, according to Palinski-Wade.
“One big reason that the Mediterranean diet can improve overall health and reduce mortality risk is the benefit it has on visceral fat, or belly fat,” a dietitian said. (iStock)
This diet is also rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients, she said, which have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body.
This can help to reduce the risk of future disease, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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“The Mediterranean diet also has a positive impact on blood sugar balance, mood and even sleep, all of which can help to reduce stress levels and improve overall quality of life,” she added.
“In addition, when mood and sleep improve, many individuals find it much easier to be more physically active, which can play a large role in reducing mortality risk as well.”
The Mediterranean diet is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients, which have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
“The study participants were middle-aged and older, well-educated female health professionals who were predominantly non-Hispanic White individuals, which may limit the generalizability of the findings,” they wrote.
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Because the women’s dietary intake was self-reported through questionnaires, there was some potential for misrepresentation.
Fish, poultry and dairy can be incorporated in moderation. The diet limits red meat, sweets, butter and sugary drinks. (iStock)
Another limitation is that the researchers only had access to the blood samples provided at baseline, as follow-up samples were not collected.
There is also the possibility that other factors, such as high blood pressure and high BMI, could have impacted the outcomes.
“Future studies should examine other pathways that could potentially mediate the Mediterranean diet–associated lower mortality as well as examine cause-specific mortality,” the researchers wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harvard researchers requesting comment.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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