Journal Name:
British Journal of Nutrition
Article Title:
Are the advantages of the Mediterranean diet transferable to other populations? A cohort study in Melbourne, Australia
Date Written:
1999
Volume:
82
Number:
Page:
57
Author(s):
Kouris-Blazos, A.; Gnardellis, C.; Wahlqvist, M.; Trichopoulos, D.; Lukito, W.; Trichopoulou, A.
Article:
In a previous cohort study of elderly people in rural Greece conducted by these researchers, it was noted that a one unit increase in a diet score, devised a priori on the basis of eight desirable key features of the traditional common diet in the Mediterranean region, was associated with a statistically significant 17 % reduction in overall mortality. The authors noted however, that the results of studies of the Mediterranean diet in Mediterranean populations may be confounded by an association of adult diet with early life nutritional patterns and culture-specific psychosocial variables. Thus a study of similar design was undertaken in Australia among elderly Anglo-Celts and Greek-Australians with two objectives: (1) to examine whether the results from the study in rural Greece could be replicated in an urban setting in Australia, and (2) to examine whether the apparent benefits of the Mediterranean diet are transferable to population groups with very different dietary habits.
A prospective cohort study involved 141 Anglo-Celts and 189 Greek-Australians of both sexes aged 70 years or more. Diet was assessed using an extensive validated questionnaire on food intake. A one unit increase in a diet score, devised a priori on the basis of eight key features of the traditional common diet in the Mediterranean region, was associated with a 17 % reduction in overall mortality (two-tailed P value 0?07). Mortality reduction with increasing diet score was at least as evident among Anglo-Celts as among Greek-Australians. A diet that adheres to the principles of the traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with longer survival among Australians of either Greek or Anglo-Celtic origin.
Overall the results support the hypothesis that a high value for the diet score, which was developed in order to capture the essential principles of the Mediterranean diet, is associated with longer survival. Adherence to the principles of the traditional Mediterranean diet, as in the diet score used in this study, is likely to be associated with lower overall mortality. Moreover, key features of this diet appear to be applicable to other dietary cultures and cuisines, and may have a substantial beneficial impact on the general mortality of elderly people who have the Westernized dietary habits typically encountered among Australians of Anglo-Celtic origin., ,
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