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Mediterranean Diet Lowers Death Rate
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
July 12 2003 | 2,424 views

People who follow a Mediterranean-type diet--which includes plenty of vegetables, legumes, fruits and olive oil--have a lower risk of death from any cause, including heart disease and cancer, than people eating other diets.

The more closely a person followed the diet, the less likely they were to die, leading researchers to suggest that it is a beneficial diet for the healthy as well as the sick. A traditional Mediterranean diet includes only small amounts of meat and poultry and includes regular quantities of fish, dairy products and wine.

Interestingly, in areas where a Mediterranean diet is shifting to a more Western one, the prevalence of obesity is rising.

New England Journal of Medicine June 26 2003;348:2595-2596,2599-2608



Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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The evidence continues to mount on the profound impact diet has on health. However, there is no one diet that is perfect for everyone. This is because our bodies are made up of a unique biochemistry that requires a different combination of foods to run at its most optimum level. This concept is what is at the heart of Metabolic Typing.

When you understand nutritional typing it becomes obvious that some people require up to two-thirds of their diet as vegetable carbohydrate, while others thrive on a high-protein diet with minimal carbohydrates. Once you determine your ideal fuel mixture your body will inevitably run more efficiently.

One common thread in all of this is the restriction of grains and sugar. The vast majority of people will indeed benefit from this.

I detail the importance of restricting grains and sugars from your diet in my new book, The No-Grain Diet. Aside from providing you with a healthy way to lose weight, you will also ward of numerous diseases. Plus, you will learn how to deal with your emotional conflicts, which can so often sabotage weight loss efforts, by using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). You can download my free 25-page EFT report to help you get started.

While most people will certainly benefit from restricting grains and sugars from the diet, it is important to remember that there is no perfect diet for everyone or every condition. Diet really needs to be modified and adjusted to fit each specific person with his or her own unique genetic requirements.

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