Diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grain bread, nuts, olive oil and canola oil do not just sustain good health but also increase your life expectancy too, says a new study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. The findings suggest that those who closely follow an anti-inflammatory diet have an 18 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality. An anti-inflammatory diet consists of foods that reduce hyper inflammatory responses in the body. This diet involves replacing foods like unprocessed and processed red meat, organ meats, chips, and soft-drink beverages with whole, nutrient-rich foods. Anti-inflammatory foods consist of fruits and vegetables, tea, coffee, whole grain bread, breakfast cereal, low-fat cheese, olive oil and canola oil, nuts, chocolate, and moderate amounts of red wine and beer
The researchers also found that those who follow the diet experience a 20 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, and a 13 per cent lower risk of cancer mortality, when compared with those who followed the diet to a lesser degree.
For the study, the research team involved 68,273 Swedish men and women aged between 45 and 83 years. The participants were followed for 16 years.
"Our dose-response analysis showed that even partial adherence to the anti-inflammatory diet may provide a health benefit," said lead author Joanna Kaluza, Associate Professor at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland.
And there is some good news for smokers too. The study revealed that smokers who ate a lot of fruits, nuts, vegetables and olive oil experienced greater benefits when compared with smokers who did not follow the diet.
The anti-inflammatory potential of the diet was estimated using the validated anti-inflammatory diet index (AIDI), which includes 11 potential anti-inflammatory and five potential pro-inflammatory foods.
(With Inputs IANS)