Two major studies have found that a diet rich in Mediterranean food like fish, fruit and vegetables, combined with regular exercise, can cut the risk of early death by up to a fifth.
Research involving more than 500,000 people has indicated the importance of a Mediterranean-style diet, while another study found that 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week reduces the risk of dying early by up to a quarter.
The studies, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal, used questionnaires from 566,407 Americans aged between 50 and 71.
The diet study was carried out by the National Cancer Institute in America and the University of Cambridge. Researchers analysed people with diets rich in vegetables, beans, fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, monounsaturated fats and meat over a five-year period. Overall deaths fell in both men and women who strictly adhered to the regime.
The risk of men dying of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 22 per cent. Deaths from cancer fell 17 per cent. Women who strictly followed the diet were 21 per cent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, and 14 per cent less likely to die from cancer.
Smokers and the obese can still benefit from a Mediterranean diet and regular exercise, even if they do not lose weight or quit cigarettes, the studies found.
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