### How the Mediterranean Diet Affects Women's Health and Longevity A recent study led by Harvard Medical School researchers found that women who closely followed the Mediterranean diet had a 20% lower risk of early death compared to those who made different dietary choices. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains, with olive oil as the main source of fat. It also includes moderate amounts of fish, poultry, dairy, and eggs, while red meat, sweets, and processed foods are rarely consumed. When researchers investigated how this diet might affect women's bodies to prolong their lives, they discovered fewer signs of diabetes and heart problems in the women's blood and other body fluids. Interestingly, the most significant indicators of a long life were not the standard blood tests usually done during annual physicals. Variations in standard cholesterol panels or glucose checks for diabetes were only minimally linked to early death. Instead, other biomarkers, particularly signs of inflammation and levels of homocysteine and alanine (two types of amino acids), were much more predictive of longevity. Both of these amino acids are linked to heart and metabolism problems. Dr. Samia Mora, a senior author of the study and a Harvard professor of medicine, stated that for women who want to live longer, watching their diet is crucial. The good news is that following a Mediterranean dietary pattern could result in about a one-quarter reduction in the risk of death over more than 25 years, benefiting both cancer and cardiovascular mortality, which are the top causes of death in women (and men) in the U.S. and globally. The study analyzed 25 years of health data for over 25,000 women living in the U.S. These women provided detailed information about their diets for nearly three years, and their health records were analyzed afterward. At the start of the study, all the women were considered healthy, with an average age of about 55 years. Over the next 25 years, nearly 3,900 of the women died, with heart disease and cancer being the top causes of death. Women who adhered most closely to the Mediterranean diet had a 23% reduced risk of early death from any cause. However, the researchers noted that their study had limitations due to a lack of diversity among the participants, who were mainly middle-aged and older, well-educated White women.