Longevity in elderly Greek migrants to Australia may be explained by adherence to a traditional Greek Mediterranean diet
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Between 1988 and 1991 data were collected on diet, health and lifestyle on 818 people\naged 70 and over from countries/cultures experiencing longevity: Swedes, Greeks,\nAustralians (Greeks and Anglo-Celts) and Japanese. This was known as the Food Habits\nin Later Life study (FHILL). Subjects from these 5 cohorts were followed up for 5–7\nyears to determine survival status and to examine the effect of diet and lifestyle variables\non longevity. The FHILL study was the first to develop a score which captured\nthe key features of a traditional plant-based Mediterranean diet pattern (MDPS). A\nhigher score (i.e greater adherence to this dietary pattern) improved overall survival in\nboth Greek and non-Greek elderly reducing the risk of death by 50% after 5–7 years.\nOf the 5 cohorts studied, first generation elderly Greeks in Australia had the lowest\nrisk of death, even though they had the highest rates of obesity and other cardiovascular\ndisease (CVD) risk factors (developed in the early years of migration with the\nintroduction of energy dense foods). This was called a “Greek migrant Morbidity\nMortality Paradox”. Greek migrants appeared to be “getting away” with these CVD\nrisk factors because of their continued adherence to a Mediterranean diet, especially\nlegumes. This paper reviews a) the findings from the FHILL study b) other studies on\nGreek migrants to Australia c) clinical studies investigating possible mechanisms. We\npropose that the Mediterranean diet may be operating to reduce the risk of death and\nattenuate established CVD risk factors by beneficially altering the gut microbiome.
Language: English
Topic: Nutritional Studies and Diet
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2782671023