Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/16/12.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Eggs at Breakfast May Delay Hunger - WebMD, 5/11/12 - "researchers tracked 20 overweight or obese people, giving them either a breakfast containing eggs or cold cereal for one week. Although the breakfasts offered different protein foods, the meals themselves were equally matched in terms of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat ... people who had eggs in the morning felt fuller before lunch, and they also ate less food from the buffet compared to those who had cereal. Egg eaters also had lower levels of ghrelin and higher amounts of PYY3-36 during the three hours between breakfast and lunch. This suggests they felt less hungry and more satisfied between meals ... Long-term weight loss trials to compare the manipulation of protein quality without increasing protein quantity should be explored" - Note:  I fully agree.  I just seems very easy to keep my weight in check when I have eggs for breakfast.

Vitamin K2: New hope for Parkinson's patients? - Science Daily, 5/11/12 - "Fruit flies (Drosophila) are frequently used in lab experiments because of their short life spans and breeding cycles, among other things ... When the flies were given vitamin K2, the energy production in their mitochondria was restored and the insects' ability to fly improved. The researchers were also able to determine that the energy production was restored because the vitamin K2 had improved electron transport in the mitochondria. This in turn led to improved energy production ... Vitamin K2 plays a role in the energy production of defective mitochondria. Because defective mitochondria are also found in Parkinson's patients with a PINK1 or Parkin mutation, vitamin K2 potentially offers hope for a new treatment for Parkinson's" - See vitamin K at Amazon.com.

Can Testosterone Therapy Help Obese Men Lose Weight? - US News and World Report, 5/9/12 - "The men were given 1,000 milligrams of testosterone by injection when the study started, again at six weeks and then every 12 weeks until the end of the trial ... The men who were followed for five years lost an average of 35 pounds ... they also saw improvements in their cholesterol and triglyceride levels, along with their blood pressure ... there was no increase in the risk of prostate cancer"

Probiotics Reduce Antibiotic Diarrhea - Science Daily, 5/8/12 - "Diarrhea is a common side effect of antibiotic use, occurring in almost 1 in 3 people who take the drugs ... By affecting good bacteria, as well as bad, antibiotics can disrupt the delicate microbial balance in the intestines, but the live microorganisms marketed as probiotics can help restore this balance to reduce diarrhea risk ... in people taking antibiotics, those who used probiotics were 42% less likely to develop diarrhea" - See probiotic products at iHerb.

Flavonoid compound found in foods and supplements may prevent the formation of blood clots, study suggests - Science Daily, 5/8/12 - "It's not always fully appreciated that the majority of Americans will die as the result of a blood clot in either their heart or their brain ... The study focused on protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) which is found in all cells. Investigators in BIDMC's Division of Hemostasis and Thrombosis had previously shown that PDI is rapidly secreted from both platelets and endothelial cells during thrombosis, when a clot forms in a blood vessel, and that inhibition of PDI could block thrombosis in a mouse model ... Among the more than 5,000 compounds that were screened, quercetin-3-rutinoside (rutin) emerged as the most potent agent ... Surprisingly, studies of the rutin molecule demonstrated that the same part of the molecule that provides rutin with its ability to inhibit PDI also prevents the compound from entering cells ... "That finding explained how this compound can be both a potent inhibitor of PDI and a safe food supplement," ... Rutin proved to be the most potently anti-thrombotic compound that we ever tested in this model ... This discovery suggests that a single agent can treat and prevent both types of clots" - See rutin products at iHerb.

How cannabis use during adolescence affects brain regions associated with schizophrenia - Science Daily, 5/8/12 - "This is the first study to show that the combined effects of the COMT gene with adolescent cannabis use cause physical changes in the brain regions associated with schizophrenia. It demonstrates how genetic, developmental and environmental factors interact to modulate brain function in schizophrenia and supports previous behavioural research which has shown the COMT gene to influence the effects of adolescent cannabis use on schizophrenia-related behaviours"

Diabetes drug could treat leading cause of blindness: Metformin blocks uveitis in rats - Science Daily, 5/7/12 - "In laboratory rat and cell-culture experiments, the scientists found that metformin, which is commonly used to control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes, also substantially reduced the effects of uveitis, an inflammation of the tissues just below the outer surface of the eyeball. Uveitis causes 10 to 15 percent of all cases of blindness in the United States, and is responsible for an even higher proportion of blindness globally ... Metformin inhibits the process that causes that inflammation" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Improvements in quantitative EEG following consumption of a natural citicoline-enhanced beverage - Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012 Jun;63(4):421-5 - "Ten healthy adult participants enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study and were randomized to receive either placebo or the citicoline supplement on the first visit. Measures of electrical brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) were collected 30 min after consuming the beverage. Seven days after the initial assessment participants completed the alternative condition (placebo or citicoline beverage). Compared to placebo, significant improvements were found in frontal alpha EEG and N100 event related potentials (ERP) associated with the citicoline-enhanced supplement. These preliminary findings suggest that a novel brain drink containing compounds known to increase choline in the brain significantly improved attention as measured by ERP and EEG. These findings suggest that a viable and alternative brain supplement without potential compounds such as taurine may augment attentional mechanisms in healthy individuals" - See citicholine at Amazon.com.

Citicoline Enhances Neuroregenerative Processes After Experimental Stroke in Rats - Stroke. 2012 May 10 - "Animals treated with citicoline showed a significantly better neurological outcome at Days 10, 21, and 28 after ischemia, which could not be attributed to differences in infarct volumes or glial scar formation. However, neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus, subventricular zone, and peri-infarct area was significantly increased by citicoline. Furthermore, enhanced neurological outcome after citicoline treatment was associated with a shift toward excitation in the perilesional cortex" - See citicholine at Amazon.com.

Ginsenoside Re rapidly reverses insulin resistance in muscles of high-fat diet fed rats - Metabolism. 2012 May 7 - "Our results show that the ginsenoside Re induces a remarkably rapid reversal of high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance of muscle glucose transport by reversing the impairment of insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation to the cell surface" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Predicts the Onset of Mobility Limitation and Disability in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Health ABC Study - J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2012 May 9 - "Participants with 25(OH)D <50 and 50 to <75 nmol/L were at greater risk of developing mobility limitation (HR (95% CI): 1.29 (1.04-1.61) and 1.27 (1.05-1.53), respectively) and mobility disability (HR (95% CI): 1.93 (1.32-2.81) and 1.30 (0.92-1.83), respectively) over 6 years of follow-up compared with participants with 25(OH)D ≥75 nmol/L" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Insulin resistance: A significant risk factor of endometrial cancer - Gynecol Oncol. 2012 Mar 23 - "Risk factors of insulin resistance, such as the inflammatory mediators, adipokines adiponectin, leptin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and excessive androgen are also risk factors of endometrial cancer. High levels of insulin induced by insulin resistance have been found to exert direct and indirect effects that contribute to the development of endometrial cancer. Insulin directly promotes cell proliferation and survival through the PI3K/Akt and Ras/MAPK pathways. Moreover, the network among insulin, estrogen and insulin-like growth factor-1 also contributes to the development of endometrial cancer. Indirectly, insulin leads to changes in sex hormone levels, including increases in the levels of estrogen. Additionally, a small number of studies suggested that metformin, an insulin-sensitizing agent, has therapeutic potential for endometrial cancer" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.

The Synergistic Apoptotic Interaction of Panaxadiol and Epigallocatechin Gallate in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells - Phytother Res. 2012 May 8 - "Panaxadiol (PD) is a purified sapogenin of ginseng saponins, which exhibits anticancer activity. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major catechin in green tea, is a strong botanical antioxidant ... Cell growth was suppressed after treatment with PD (10 and 20 µm) for 48 h. When PD (10 and 20 µm) was combined with EGCG (10, 20, and 30 µm), significantly enhanced antiproliferative effects were observed in both cell lines. Combining 20 µm of PD with 20 and 30 µm of EGCG significantly decreased S-phase fractions of cells. In the apoptotic assay, the combination of PD and EGCG significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic cells compared with PD alone (p < 0.01). The synergistic apoptotic effects were also supported by docking analysis, which demonstrated that PD and EGCG bound in two different sites of the annexin V protein. Data from this study suggested that apoptosis might play an important role in the EGCG-enhanced antiproliferative effects of PD on human colorectal cancer cells" - See ginseng at Amazon.com and green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Mediterranean Diet):

News & Research:

• Mediterranean Diet May Protect Brain - WebMD, 2/13/12 - "white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) ... WMHV is an indicator of small blood vessel damage in the brain and is detected by magnetic resonance screening (MRI) ... researchers compared the brain scans and diets of 966 adults with an average age of 72 ... those who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a lower measure of WMHV than those who did not. Each increase in the Mediterranean diet score was associated with a corresponding decrease in white matter hyperintensity volume score ... the aspect of the Mediterranean diet that seemed to matter most was the ratio of monounsaturated fat to saturated fat"
• Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests - Science Daily, 12/20/11 - "A Mediterranean diet with large amounts of vegetables and fish gives a longer life. This is the unanimous result of four studies to be published by the Sahlgrenska Academy ... The results show that those who eat a Mediterranean diet have a 20% higher chance of living longer"
• Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Relation to ACS and Stroke - Medscape, 11/15/11 - "Since the Seven Countries Study[5] in the 1970s and the randomized clinical trial Lyon Heart Study[25] in the 1990s, many studies have supported the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet on the development of CVD and, particularly, CHD.[6] The CARDIO2000 study, a case-control study with 848 patients with ACS and 1,078 age- and sex-matched control subjects, showed that a 10-unit increase of the MedDietScore was associated with a roughly 30% lower likelihood of having an ACS.[26] Trichopoulou et al[27] showed that adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with a 33% (95% CI 0.47–0.94) lower mortality from CHD. In addition, recent results of the large-scale, multinational INTERHEART study, including 27,098 participants from 52 countries, highlighted the important role of unhealthy dietary habits as a risk factor for myocardial infarction. Most importantly, the population attributable risk of an unhealthy diet was approximately 27% in men and 26% in women;[28] suggesting that most CHD evens could have been avoided by adopting a healthier dietary pattern. In the present work, the estimated attributable risk for the lowest tertile of adherence to the Mediterranean pattern was 40% for ACS ... Despite the plethora of studies as regards Mediterranean diet and CHD, few studies have examined the role of the diet on the development of stroke. The Nurses' Health Study, a prospective cohort study of 74,886 female participants, showed that adherence to this pattern exerts a protective effect regarding the development of stroke (relative risk of highest compared with lowest quintile: 0.87, 95% CI 0.73–1.02).[13] Furthermore, a recent case-control study of only 48 patients with stroke and 47 age- and sex-matched controls reported that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 91% lower likelihood of ischemic stroke (95% CI 0.02–0.40).[14] In addition, results of the INTERSTROKE case-control study suggested that unhealthy dietary habits were associated with a 34% higher likelihood of ischemic stroke (95% CI 1.09–1.65, highest vs lowest tertile), whereas the population attributable risk was 17.3% (95% CI 9.4–29.6).[29] In the present work, similar to the 2 aforementioned studies, it was observed that a greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower likelihood of having an ischemic stroke event, whereas the estimated attributable risk for the lowest tertile of adherence to the Mediterranean pattern was 37% ... It is widely known that oxidative stress and chronic inflammation play a crucial role for the development of atherosclerosis, influencing endothelial and vascular function. Not surprisingly, the protective role of the Mediterranean dietary pattern regarding CVD has been mainly attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of this pattern. The basic components of this diet—olive oil, red wine, fruits and vegetables, and fish—are foods rich in vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, phytochemicals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Results of epidemiologic studies and clinical trials have shown that subjects following closer the Mediterranean diet had a higher total antioxidant capacity[11] and lower inflammatory and coagulation markers: C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, homocysteine, white blood cell, and fibrinogen levels.[12, 30] Furthermore, latest studies have shown the beneficial role of this diet on endothelial function.[30] In particular, adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been associated not only with a reduction in endothelial damage and dysfunction but also with improvement in the degenerative activity of the endothelium"
• Fatty Acids and Cognitive Decline in Women - Medscape, 6/13/11 - "In this cohort of older women, greater MUFA intake was associated with less cognitive decline over a 3-year period. Previous studies generally but not invariably support this association. One previous prospective study found greater dietary MUFA intake to be associated with less cognitive decline,[10] a second found a trend in the same direction,[9] a third found a trend in the same direction in restricted analyses,[6] and three others were null.[7,8,11] None of the null studies had multiple measures of diet; one assessed diet using a measure of fatty acid composition of erythrocyte membranes,[7] but that study assessed cognitive decline exclusively using the Mini-Mental State Examination, which is probably not as sensitive as the neuropsychological test battery used in this study ... MUFA is thought to be one of the major protective components of the traditional Mediterranean diet, in which it is derived primarily from olive oil (median 46 g/d).[10] Two recent prospective studies of the Mediterranean diet have found greater adherence to be associated with less cognitive decline and lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD).[31,32] One of these studies found an effect of the Mediterranean diet on an individual cognitive domain, namely memory.[31] This finding is consistent with the observed protective effect of MUFA on memory in the WHI CCW. In addition, the current study found an association between MUFA and less decline in visual–spatial abilities (copying and matching), a finding not previously made to the knowledge of the authors of the current study. Decline in visuospatial function has been associated with driving errors in older adults[33] and has also been suggested as a potential predictor (along with amnestic impairment) of transition from mild cognitive impairment to AD ... Several pathways may explain the apparent relationship between MUFA intake and cognitive function. MUFA and MUFA derivatives have antiinflammatory effects in vivo,[35,36] which may be important because chronic inflammation appears to be a precursor of symptomatic AD.[37–39] Oxidative stress has also been demonstrated in patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD,[40] and derivatives from MUFA, including low-molecular-weight phenols, have been found to have antioxidant effects.[41] MUFA may also exert their potentially beneficial effects on cognition indirectly by decreasing cardiovascular risk by reducing macrophage uptake of plasma oxidized low-density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein B, and f triglycerides" - Click here for my olive oil mayonnaise recipe.
• Mediterranean diet: Alarmingly high cardiovascular risk factors found in Mediterranean people - Science Daily, 1/10/11 - "The myth that the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle is so healthy is based on 40-year old data from rural areas and so much has changed during those four decades"
• Science strengthens for olive extract’s bone benefits - Nutra USA, 9/14/10 - “Our data suggest that oleuropein, highly abundant in olive tree products included in the traditional Mediterranean diet, could prevent age-related bone loss and osteoporosis" - [Abstract] - See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.
• Virgin olive oil and a Mediterranean diet fight heart disease by changing how our genes function - Science Daily, 6/30/10 - "The first group consumed a traditional Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil rich in polyphenols. The second group consumed a traditional Mediterranean diet with an olive oil low in polyphenols. The third group followed their habitual diet. After three months, the first group had a down-regulation in the expression of atherosclerosis-related genes in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Additionally, the olive oil polyphenols made a significant impact on the expression of genetic changes influencing coronary heart disease. Results also showed that the consumption of virgin olive oil in conjunction with a Mediterranean diet can positively impact lipid and DNA oxidation, insulin resistance, inflammation, carcinogenesis, and tumor suppression ... olive oil and a Mediterranean diet affect our bodies in a far more significant way than previously believed" - See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.
• Mediterranean-style diet improves heart function, twin study shows - Science Daily, 6/15/10 - "heart rate variability (HRV) ... Eating a Mediterranean-style diet -- one characterized by low saturated fats and high in fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil, cereals and moderate alcohol consumption -- reduces a person's heart disease risk ... the higher a person's diet score, the more variable the heart beat-to-beat time interval -- 10 percent to 58 percent (depending on the HRV measure considered) for men in the top Mediterranean diet score quarter compared to those in the lowest quarter; this equates to a 9 percent to 14 percent reduction in heart-related death"
• Mediterranean diet may lower risk of brain damage that causes thinking problems - Science Daily, 2/8/10
• Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Risk for Stomach Cancer - Medscape, 12/29/09 - "For every 1-unit increase in relative Mediterranean diet score, the risk for gastric adenocarcinoma decreased by 5% to 7%"
• Mediterranean Diet May Fight Depression - WebMD, 10/5/09
• Mediterranean Diet May Boost Eye Health - WebMD, 5/11/09 - "people who ate one serving of fish per week had a 31% lower risk of early signs of AMD. Those who ate one to two servings of nuts rich in omega-3 fatty acids had a 35% lower risk" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Mediterranean diet may lower blood pressure: Study - Nutra USA, 5/11/09
• Mediterranean Diet May Preserve Memory - WebMD, 2/9/09 - "The Mediterranean diet consists of larger doses of fish, vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, and unsaturated fatty acids; low amounts of dairy products, meat, and saturated fats; and a moderate amount of alcohol ... average 4.5 year follow-up period. Those in the top one-third of Mediterranean diet scores had a 28% lower risk (compared to those in the bottom third) of developing a cognitive impairment"
• Mediterranean Diet Reduces Long-term Risk Of Subsequent Weight Gain And Obesity Among Adults - Science Daily, 1/22/09 - "increased fruit and vegetable intake was associated with significantly lower risk of a medium WG (3,41 kg) over 10 years among adults of a Spanish Mediterranean population. Dietary strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake to prevent and control overweight and obesity should be promoted more vigorously"
• Metabolic Syndrome? Nuts! - WebMD, 12/8/08 - "A group that was given personalized advice on the Mediterranean diet and about 2 tablespoons of mixed nuts (1/2 walnuts, 1/4 almonds, and 1/4 hazelnuts) each day ... A year later, nobody lost weight. And about the same number of people developed newly diagnosed metabolic syndrome in each group ... But among patients who already had metabolic syndrome, those in the nut group were 70% more likely to have reversal of metabolic syndrome than those in the control group"
• Accolades for Mediterranean Diet - WebMD, 9/11/08 - "people who followed a strict Mediterranean diet were: ... 9% less likely to die from heart disease or other cardiovascular problems ... 6% less likely to develop cancer or die from it ... 13% less likely to have Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease"
• Ornish: Why Atkins Still Doesn't Beat Low-Fat Diet -  Newsweek, 7/16/08 - "A new study comparing the Atkins diet, a Mediterranean diet and a low-fat diet published on July 17 in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), is likely to inspire headlines saying that the Atkins diet is better for your waistline and your health than a low-fat diet ... I believe this study is extremely flawed. Here's why: ... funded in part by the Atkins Foundation ... quality of data in this study ..."
• The Traditional Mediterranean Diet Protects Against Diabetes, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 5/30/08 - "A high adherence to the diet was associated with an 83% relative reduction in the risk of developing diabetes"
• Med diet linked to longer life - study - Nutra USA, 12/12/07 - "greater adherence to a Med-style diet reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer by 22 and 17 per cent in men, and 12 per cent for women ... so-called all-cause mortality (death from all causes) was reduced by 21 per cent among men and 20 per cent among women with the greatest adherence ... The Mediterranean diet also includes other important dietary constituents such as fiber and a low omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio, both of which potentially prevent cancer initiation and progression" - [Abstract]
• Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's Patients Live Longer - Science Daily, 9/10/07 - "Alzheimer's patients who adhered to the diet to a moderate degree lived an average 1.3 years longer than those people who least adhered to the diet. And those Alzheimer's patients who followed the diet very religiously lived an average four years longer"
• Mediterranean Diet Halves Risk Of Progressive Lung Disease - Science Daily, 5/15/07
• Diet May Influence Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 10/9/06 - "Long suspected of lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes, the Mediterranean diet consists of large amounts of fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, and nuts. Red meats are eaten only rarely and poultry, eggs, and dairy products are eaten in moderation. Olive oil and fatty fish are the main sources of fat in the diet ... People who most closely adhered to the diet had an Alzheimer's risk that was 40% to 65% lower than people who were least likely to follow the diet"
• Erectile Function in Subjects With the Metabolic Syndrome - Medscape, 7/19/06 - "consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet in men with the metabolic syndrome and ED at baseline produced significant improvement of erectile and endothelial functions, together with a significant reduction of systemic vascular inflammation, as indicated by the reduced levels of CRP"
• Mediterranean Beats Low-Fat Diet - WebMD, 6/5/06 - "Compared with the low-fat group, the two Mediterranean diet groups had bigger improvements in blood pressure, insulin resistance (a problem which accompanies or precedes type 2 diabetes), markers of inflammation, and levels of cholesterol and other lipids (blood fats)"
• Mediterranean Diet May Cut Alzheimer's - WebMD, 4/18/06 - "Scores ranged from 0-9, with higher scores showing greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet ... those with middle scores were 15% less likely to have been found to have developed Alzheimer's disease, and those with the highest scores were 40% less likely to have been found to have Alzheimer's disease"
• Olive oil—key to Mediterranean diet's benefits - MSNBC, 3/10/06
• Tufts Expert Examines The Cardiovascular Benefits Of A Mediterranean-style Diet - Science Daily, 2/7/06
• The Disease-Preventive Power of the Mediterranean Diet - Life Extension Magazine, 7/05
• Mediterranean Diet Linked to Longer Life - WebMD, 4/7/05 - "a healthy man of 60 who follows the diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables and low in meat and dairy, can expect to live a year longer than a man of the same age who doesn't follow the diet ... The Mediterranean diet was nearly vegetarian, with fish and very little meat, and was rich in green vegetables"
• Mediterranean Diet Helps Lower Death Rates - WebMD, 12/9/04 - "those seniors adhering to the Mediterranean diet had a 23% lower risk of death from all causes ... seniors who exercised at least 30 minutes every day lowered their risk of death by 37%. Nonsmoking seniors reduced their risk by 35%. Seniors who drank alcohol moderately reduced their risk by 22% ... a senior who adhered to all of these lifestyle changes reduced his risk of death by 65%"
• More good news about the Mediterranean diet - MSNBC, 10/29/04 - "people who ate a mostly Mediterranean diet, exercised moderately, drank little to moderate amounts of alcohol, and didn’t smoke had 65 percent fewer deaths than those who followed none or only one of these healthy habits"

Abstracts:

• Diet Quality Is Associated with All-Cause Mortality in Adults Aged 65 Years and Older - J Nutr. 2011 Dec 21 - "Three measures of diet quality were used: the Healthy Diet Score (HDS), the Recommended Food Score (RFS), and the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) ... After adjustment for confounders, the MDS was significantly associated with mortality [highest vs. lowest quartile; HR = 0.78 (95% CI = 0.62-0.98)]. Similarly, the RFS was also associated with mortality [HR = 0.67 (95 % CI = 0.52-0.86)]; however, there were no significant associations for the HDS [HR = 0.99 (95% CI = 0.79-1.24)]"
• Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and quality of life in the SUN Project - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011 Aug 17 - "Health-related quality of life (HRQL) ... Multivariate-adjusted models revealed a significant direct association between adherence to Mediterranean diet and all the physical and most mental health domains (vitality, social functioning and role emotional). Vitality (β=0.50, 95% CI=0.32-0.68) and general health (β=0.45, 95% CI=0.26-0.62) showed the highest coefficients. Mean values for physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health and vitality domains were significantly better with increasing adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Those having improved their initial high diet scores have better scores in physical functioning, general health and vitality. Conclusions: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet seems to be a factor importantly associated with a better HRQL" - Note:  For me, quality of life has always been more important mortality.  For example, you may live longer (that's debatable) with calorie restriction but is it worth being cranky your entire life?
• The impact of a Mediterranean diet and healthy lifestyle on premature mortality in men and women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jul 27 - "Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly related to lower mortality in women but not significantly in men. The healthy lifestyle score was strongly inversely related to mortality in women and men. When the least-healthy to the healthiest lifestyle scores were compared, HRs of 4.07 (95% CI: 2.59, 6.40; P-trend <0.001) and 2.61 (95% CI: 1.79, 3.80; P-trend <0.001) were shown in women and men, respectively. For the same comparison, the mortality rate advancement period ("aging effect") was 15.1 y (95% CI: 9.9, 20.2 y) in women and 8.4 y (95% CI: 5.0, 11.8 y) in men ... This study suggests that adherence to 4 modifiable healthy lifestyle factors can substantially reduce premature mortality in women and men"
• Adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduces mortality in the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Spain) - Br J Nutr. 2011 May 17:1-11 - "Epidemiological studies show that adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD) increases longevity; however, few studies are restricted to Mediterranean populations or explore the effect of a MD pattern that directly incorporates olive oil. Therefore the relationship between adherence to the MD and mortality was studied within the the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Spain) ... Risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality was assessed according to the level of adherence to a relative MD (rMED) score, measured using an 18-unit scale incorporating nine selected dietary components. A high compared with a low rMED score was associated with a significant reduction in mortality from all causes (hazard ratio (HR) 0.79; 95 % CI 0.69, 0.91), from CVD (HR 0.66; 95 % CI 0.49, 0.89), but not from overall cancer (HR 0.92; 95 % CI 0.75, 1.12). A 2-unit increase in rMED score was associated with a 6 % (P < 0.001) decreased risk of all-cause mortality. A high olive oil intake and moderate alcohol consumption contributed most to this association. In this Spanish cohort, following an olive oil-rich MD was related to a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, and reduced the risk of mortality from CVD. These results support the important role that the MD pattern has on reducing mortality in Mediterranean countries" - Click here for my olive oil mayonnaise recipe.
• Effect of a traditional Mediterranean diet on apolipoproteins B, A-I, and their ratio: A randomized, controlled trial - Atherosclerosis. 2011 May 6 - "Apolipoprotein (Apo)B, ApoA-I, and their ratio could predict coronary heart disease (CHD) risk more accurately than conventional lipid measurements. Our aim was to assess the effect of a traditional Mediterranean diet (TMD) on apolipoproteins ... Participants assigned to a low-fat diet (control) (n=177), or TMDs (TMD+virgin olive oil (VOO), n=181 or TMD+nuts, n=193) received nutritional education and either free VOO (ad libitum) or nuts (dose: 30g/day). A 3-month evaluation was performed ... Both TMDs promoted beneficial changes on classical cardiovascular risk factors. ApoA-I increased, and ApoB and ApoB/ApoA-I ratio decreased after TMD+VOO, the changes promoting a lower cardiometabolic risk. Changes in TMD+VOO versus low-fat diet were -2.9mg/dL (95% CI, -5.6 to -0.08), 3.3mg/dL (95% CI, 0.84 to 5.8), and -0.03mg/dL (-0.05 to -0.01) for ApoB, ApoA-I, and ApoB/ApoA-I ratio, respectively ... Individuals at high-cardiovascular risk who improved their diet toward a TMD pattern rich in virgin olive oil, reduced their Apo B and ApoB/ApoA-I ratio and improved ApoA-I concentrations" - The question is; is it the polyphenols or the omega-9 or both in the virgin olive oil responsible for the benefit? See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.
• Adherence to a Mediterranean-type dietary pattern and cognitive decline in a community population - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Dec 22 - "investigated whether adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern or to the Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) is associated with cognitive change in older adults ... For both scoring systems, higher scores connote greater adherence ... Mean (+/-SD) scores for participants were 28.2 +/- 0.1 for the MedDiet and 61.2 +/- 9.6 for the HEI-2005. White participants had higher energy-adjusted MedDiet scores but lower HEI-2005 scores than did black participants. Higher MedDiet scores were associated with slower rates of cognitive decline (β = +0.0014 per 1-point increase, SEE = 0.0004, P = 0.0004) after adjustment for age, sex, race, education, participation in cognitive activities, and energy. No such associations were observed for HEI-2005 scores"
• Can the Mediterranean diet lower HbA1c in type 2 diabetes? Results from a randomized cross-over study - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2010 Jul 29 - "Compared with usual diet, on the ad libitum Mediterranean intervention diet glycosylated haemoglobin fell from 7.1% (95% CI: 6.5-7.7) to 6.8%"
• Oleuropein enhances osteoblastogenesis and inhibits adipogenesis: the effect on differentiation in stem cells derived from bone marrow - Osteoporos Int. 2010 May 21 - "Our data suggest that oleuropein, highly abundant in olive tree products included in the traditional Mediterranean diet, could prevent age-related bone loss and osteoporosis" - See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.
• Are there specific treatments for the metabolic syndrome? - Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;87(1):8-11 - "Although there is no "all-inclusive" diet yet, it seems plausible that a Mediterranean-style diet has most of the desired attributes, including a lower content of refined carbohydrates, a high content of fiber, a moderate content of fat (mostly unsaturated), and a moderate-to-high content of vegetable proteins"
• Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Is Inversely Associated With Circulating Interleukin-6 Among Middle-Aged Men. A Twin Study - Circulation. 2007 Dec 17 - "A 1-unit within-pair absolute difference in the diet score was associated with a 9% (95% CI, 4.5 to 13.6) lower interleukin-6 level"
• Mediterranean Dietary Pattern and Prediction of All-Cause Mortality in a US Population: Results From the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study - Arch Intern Med. 2007 Dec 10;167(22):2461-8 - "The Mediterranean diet was associated with reduced all-cause and cause-specific mortality. In men, the multivariate HRs comparing high to low conformity for all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality were 0.79 (95% CI, 0.76-0.83), 0.78 (95% CI, 0.69-0.87), and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.76-0.91), respectively. In women, an inverse association was seen with high conformity with this pattern: decreased risks that ranged from 12% for cancer mortality to 20% for all-cause mortality (P = .04 and P < .001, respectively, for the trend)"
• Mediterranean Diet, Alzheimer Disease, and Vascular Mediation - Arch Neurol, 10/9/06 - "Higher adherence to the MeDi was associated with lower risk for AD (odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.87; P<.001). Compared with subjects in the lowest MeDi tertile, subjects in the middle MeDi tertile had an odds ratio of 0.47 (95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.76) and those at the highest tertile an odds ratio of 0.32 (95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.59) for AD"
• Mediterranean diet improves erectile function in subjects with the metabolic syndrome - Int J Impot Res. 2006 Jan 5 - "Mediterranean-style diet rich in whole grain, fruits, vegetables, legumes, walnut, and olive oil might be effective per se in reducing the prevalence of ED in men with the metabolic syndrome"
• Effect of a mediterranean-style diet on endothelial dysfunction and markers of vascular inflammation in the metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial - JAMA. 2004 Sep 22;292(12):1440-6 - "A Mediterranean-style diet might be effective in reducing the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its associated cardiovascular risk"
• Metabolic syndrome: dietary interventions - Curr Opin Cardiol. 2004 Sep;19(5):473-9 - "Although there is no "all-inclusive" diet yet, it seems plausible that a Mediterranean-style diet exhibits most of the desired attributes"
• Mediterranean diet improves lipid profiles over three months - Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004;13(Suppl):S138 - "A Mediterranean diet is effective for weight loss over three months and has early favourable effect on HDL and Triglyceride levels and a neutral effect on TC and LDL levels"