How the Mediterranean diet could help you live longer

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The research suggested that eating lots of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and whole grains extends life expectancy.

Over five years, scientists rated the volunteers on how closely they kept to the Mediterranean regime.

Those with higher scores were shown to be less likely to die in that time period of any cause, including cancer and heart disease.

The Mediterranean diet is high in healthy fats such as those in olive oil and low in red meat and dairy products. Alcohol, particularly red wine, is encouraged in moderation.

Research has suggested that the diet may improve the flexibility of cells lining the walls of blood vessels, keeping arteries and lungs healthy.

The study - carried out by the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland - was published yesterday in the journal, Archives of Internal Medicine.

None of the 380,296 patients - of whom 21,541 died - had a history of chronic illness. They were aged from 51 to 70 at the start of the trial in 1995.

The institute's researchers also found that vigorous physical activity three times a week made the subjects live longer.

Earlier this year, researchers from the UK's National Heart and Lung Institute, working with colleagues in Crete and Barcelona, found that a Mediterranean diet helped prevent asthma and respiratory allergies in children.

Last year, U.S. researchers found the diet reduced the risk of Alzheimer's. Other studies have pointed to longer life expectancy.