Wine, Mediterranean Diet, and Your Health News for 02/26/2015

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Healthy Diet Associated with Better Quality of Life in Older Adults

As we age and increase our risk for a variety of ailments and diseases, quality of life becomes very important to our overall well-being. Healthy diets have been shown to decrease the risk

Photo by Flickr user U.S. Department of Agriculture (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/13473984523)
Photo by Flickr user U.S. Department of Agriculture (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/13473984523)

and/or severity of many of these diseases, which begs the question “does a healthy diet result in an overall increase in quality of life as we age?”

A new study accepted into the journal Experimental Gerontology asked this very question and examined associations between diet and reported quality of life in older adults.

2457 (53% women) Australian adults between the ages of 55 and 65 participated in this study. Diet and quality of life were determined via a self-reported mail-in questionnaire.

Diet quality was scored based on the Dietary Guideline Index (DGI), recommended food score (RFS), and the Mediterranean diet score (MDS).

Quality of life was scored based on the RAND-36 test.

Important Findings:

  • For men, higher DGI and RFS scores were associated with higher energy.
  • For men, higher DGI scores were associated with better overall health, both physical and mental.
  • Photo by Flickr user  moodboard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67835627@N05/7267002470/)
    Photo by Flickr user moodboard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67835627@N05/7267002470/)

    For women, higher DGI and RFS scores were associated with better physical function, and better overall health.

  • For women, higher DGI, RFS, and MDS scores were associated with better emotional well-being and better energy.

The results of this study suggest that diet quality is positively associated with a better quality of life in older adults. Specifically, a better diet (and one that focuses on Mediterranean-style diet patterns) resulted in happier, more physically fit, and self-reported overall better health in older Australian adults.

Source:

Milte, C.M., Thorpe, M.G., Crawford, D., Ball, K., and McNaughton, S.A. 2015. Associations of diet quality with health-related quality of life in older Australian men and women. Experimental Gerontology http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2015.01.047

Wine, Mediterranean Diet, and Your Health News for 02/25/2015

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Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Associated with Lower Risk of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that results in itchy and dry patches of skin on the sufferer. Affecting around 2 to 4% of

Photo by Flickr user  Mysi Ann (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mysiann/1638705074)
Photo by Flickr user Mysi Ann (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mysiann/1638705074)

Western populations, psoriasis has many risk factors, including family history, diet, obesity, stress, and alcohol consumption patterns.

Various vitamins and other individual dietary components such as Vitamins A, E, C, D, and other fatty acids have been studied for their potential benefits for psoriasis risk, though the influence a particular diet as a whole (like the Mediterranean diet) is much less known.

A new study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine examined associations (if any) between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and severity of psoriasis in Italian adults.

62 patients admitted to the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy were recruited for this study. 42 men and 13 women made up the participant pool, with an average age of 50.2 years (+/-10.5yrs). A control group consisting of 62 age-, gender-, and BMI-matched healthy individuals were used as controls.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was determined using self-reported questionnaires.

Severity of psoriasis was determined by physician diagnosis, and given a standardized Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score (PASI). C-reactive protein (CRP) and body composition were also determined for each participant.

Important Findings:

Continue reading Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Associated with Lower Risk of Psoriasis

Wine, Mediterranean Diet, and Your Health News for 02/24/2015

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Photo by Flickr user  neal whitehouse piper (https://www.flickr.com/photos/whiper/5394413252)
Photo by Flickr user neal whitehouse piper (https://www.flickr.com/photos/whiper/5394413252)

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Association is not Causation