Scientists pinpoint four key foods that can help you live to 100 - and the two that contribute to early death
Sticking to a diet packed with fruit, milk and nuts may give you a fighting chance of living to 100, a new study suggests.
A Mediterranean-style diet plan has long been hailed as the secret behind Italians and Spaniards living long and healthy lives, as well as low rates of obesity and diet-related illnesses.
Now, Spanish scientists have discovered that religiously sticking to the plan — which features lean meat, poultry, grains and a host of fruit and vegetables — may slash the risk of suffering an early death by over a fifth.
But the experts from Madrid also revealed four foods specifically — fruits, dairy, nuts and unsaturated oils like olive or sunflower — were the most crucial for reducing mortality risk.
By contrast, regularly consuming fizzy drinks and pastries may increase the chances of early death.
The researchers, who labelled the findings important, urged the public to consider adopting a Mediterranean diet given its 'substantial health and planetary advantages' and lower chance of suffering an early death.
Dr Mercedes Sotos Prieto, an assistant professor in environmental health at the Autonomous University, said: 'Higher adherence to the diet was associated with lower all-cause mortality.'
In the study, researchers tracked the food intake of more than 11,000 adults with an average age of 48.
A Mediterranean-style diet plan has long been hailed as the secret behind Italians and Spaniards living long and healthy lives and low rates of obesity and diet-related illnesses
They were each given scores based on their consumption of 15 food groups in the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) and how closely they stuck to a Mediterranean diet.
The PHD eating plan, published in The Lancet five years ago, is a plant-heavy and meat-light diet designed to lower disease risk and agriculture's impact on climate change and the natural world.
It involves consuming around 2,500 calories per day.
The Mediterranean diet, meanwhile, involves lean red meat and alcohol, moderate amounts of dairy, fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, olive oil, oily fish, nuts, seeds and pulses.
The environmental impact of each participant's diet was also assessed using a database tracking greenhouse gas emissions and land use.
Over a follow-up of 14 years, the researchers found 1,157 deaths had occurred.
The findings, presented today at the European Society of Cardiology's annual Preventive Cardiology conference in Milan, showed higher adherence to the PHD and Mediterranean diet was linked to a lower risk of death.
At the age of 115, Ethel Caterham, from Surrey, is the oldest living person in the UK following the death of 112-year-old Mollie Walker on 22 January 2022
The oldest living person in the world is now believed to be Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born on June 8, 1908 and is 116 years old
The third who followed the PHD closest had a 22 per cent lower chance of dying than those in the lowest third.
For the Mediterranean Diet, participants in the top third had a 21 per cent lower chance of dying than those in the lowest third.
But sticking to some components of the PHD — fruits, dairy and unsaturated oils — and nuts in the Mediterranean diet were 'independently associated with lower mortality', the researchers added.
They did not, however, speculate why this was the case.
The oldest living person in the world is now believed to be Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born on June 8, 1908 and is 116 years old.
At the age of 115, Ethel Caterham, from Surrey, is the oldest living person in the UK (second-oldest living person in the world) following the death of 112-year-old Mollie Walker on 22 January 2022.
The title of the oldest person to have ever lived belongs to French woman Jeanne Louise Calment whose life spanned 122 years and 164 days.
Ms Caterham, who died in 1997, attributed her longevity to 'never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like'.
Experts who have studied centenarians agree.
Physical activity, a diverse diet packed with wholegrains, fruits and vegetables, love, companionship, and a sense of purpose make up the backbone of so-called 'Blue Zones,' or areas of the world where people typically live to 100 and beyond.
