Increasing evidence confirms that dietary choice is key to maintaining health. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston recently conducted a study to test how long-term dietary patterns affect mortality risks. This study analyzed associations of 4 healthy eating patterns with risk of total and cause-specific mortality. The researchers found that the Alternative Mediterranean Diet score and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index were associated with reduced mortality from neurodegenerative disease. This could be in relation to some of the unique dietary components present in both dietary patterns, which include healthy fats such as nuts and olive oil. As many previous studies suggest, the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet could be mediated by the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of the diet’s individual components. In this regard, another recently published study carried out in a Mediterranean cohort assessed the antioxidant capacity of the diet through the oxidative balance score (OBS) and analyzed its relationship with mortality. The researchers found a strong inverse association between the OBS and all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality.
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