Today’s topic includes something about eating a Mediterranean diet and healthy telomeres.  Eating a Mediterranean diet does more than just keep telomeres healthy and healthy telomeres are supported by more than just the Mediterranean diet.  One thing I’ve learned about our health is that the structure and function of our bodies is dependent on an elegant blend of thousands of various small components.  Every small decision that we make will have either a health promoting benefit or a health robbing consequence.  My goal is always to advance our knowledge of how things work, and make it rather easy to make healthy small decisions!

I’ve already spoken about telomeres in January.  Do you remember what I covered?  This is critical information for understanding how our lifestyle choices (like diet and exercise) affects the aging of our cells, and our overall aging.  I’ve also already spoken about the Mediterranean Diet.  This is not a diet, it is a way of eating that is common and customary in the part of the world surrounding the Mediterranean Ocean.  And, it seems to be a very healthy eating plan.  It has nothing to do with calorie restrictions, it’s all about food choices.

New information from a Harvard study looks at the effect of a Mediterranean diet on Telomere Length.  Here is the objective of the study – “To examine whether adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomere length, a biomarker of aging.”  The study took information from the “Nurses’ Health Study”, an ongoing study that started in 1976.  Over these years, 122,000 women have been part of the study. From that large group, a group of 4,676 women had blood testing done for telomere length and also had completed ongoing food and diet questionnaires. The Harvard researchers concluded  –  “In this large study, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomeres.  These results further support the benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet for promoting health and longevity.”

What does this mean for us?  Well, in a quick summary  –
●  we can, and most of us should, change the way we eat
●  things that can help keep our telomeres healthy are important for healthful aging
●  eating a Mediterranean style diet helps with telomere health.

One really nice thing about eating with a Mediterranean flare is that it is a way of eating that can easily be adopted in our eating plans.  You can make changes gradually, doing something small each week – over time it will be the “norm” for your family too.  And, Wild Oats products make it so easy and economical to move your family’s health in the right direction! Small decisions with health promoting benefits!  Nice!

Additional Resources:
Too much soda shortens telomeres

Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Syndrome 

Metabolic Syndrome