The Diet That Keeps You Feeling Young

By Editorial Staff

If you're blessed to be in a stable financial position, enjoying your golden years of retirement may include a cruise to, let's say, the Mediterranean. If you're not that fortunate, don't be too depressed. You can reap countless health and wellness benefits from the comfort of your own home just by eating like the Mediterraneans do.

Frailty – characterized by lack of energy, muscle weakness, low appetite, and general lethargy, particularly during old age – can lead to lack of independence and mobility, in addition to elevating health risks such as falls / fractures. Eating a Mediterranean-style diet can help reduce frailty risk, a point underscored by research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. This four-country study evaluated dietary patterns and frailty among nearly 6,000 older adults, and found seniors who adhered more closely to Mediterranean dietary principles (fish, seafood, olive oil, nuts / seeds, fruits / vegetables) were also less likely to become frail. Seniors who most closely adhered to the diet (6-9 on a 0-9 scale) were 56 percent less likely to develop frailty compared to seniors who scored 0-3 on the scale. Seniors who scored 4-5 had a 38 percent lower risk compared to the 0-3 group.

The moral to the story: Go Mediterranean! For more information about the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet and how you can adopt it, click here and talk to your doctor.