The Mediterranean diet has been associated with many beneficial effects on health, mainly demonstrating a protective role against the development of cardiovascular pathologies, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and neurological diseases. The diet also generates a lower environmental impact compared to current Western diets. Mounting evidence shows that adherence to this or similar nutritional plans is associated with several health benefits in countries beyond the Mediterranean basin.
People who follow the Mediterranean diet tend to live longer, healthier lives than others but it hasn’t been clear on a cellular level exactly why the diet is so beneficial. Researchers led by the Stanford School of Medicine have found one of the first cellular connections between healthy fats — known as monounsaturated fatty acids — and lifespan.
The researchers learned that one of the fats in the Mediterranean diet, oleic acid, increases the number of two key cellular structures, or organelles, and protects cellular membranes from oxidation. Using groundworms as test subjects it was found that when fed with food rich in oleic acid they lived about 35% longer than those given standard rations.
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