Mediterranean diet protects older people from becoming frail, says new review

Following the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of frailty in older people says a review published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Looking at data from over 5,750 people, experts found that those whose diet emphasised plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, had a lower risk of becoming frail.

“We found the evidence was very consistent that older people who follow a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of becoming frail,” explains Dr Kate Walters, one of the researchers. “People who followed a Mediterranean diet the most were overall less than half as likely to become frail over a nearly four-year period compared with those who followed it the least.”

Top tips for a Mediterranean diet (source: NHS Choices):

You can make your diet more Mediterranean-style by:

• eating plenty of starchy foods, such as bread and pasta
• eating plenty of fruit and vegetables
• including fish in your diet
• eating less meat
• choosing products made from vegetable and plant oils, such as olive oil

Click here to read the original research.

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