Mediterranean life can increase your healthy years 

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The British expat community around the Mediterranean basin should stick to ¹ the local diet and leave their old eating habits in the UK, judging by ² a new study.

Following a government warning ³ that a third of men in Britain will be obese within ⁴ four years if no measures ⁵ are taken, it would seem a move to the Mediterranean is good medicine – provided ⁶ the new arrival does not import his or her diet along with the prized possessions.

Almost a quarter of British adults are already obese after eating “energy dense” junk food for years. The rise in fatness has been rapid across all ages, with 19% of boys and 22% of girls expected to be obese by 2010. That compares to 17% and 16% respectively just three years ago.

Many studies have extolled ⁷ the health benefits ⁸ of a diet high in fruit and vegetables, low in meat and dairy products, and enlivened with a couple of glasses of wine.
The newest ⁹, from the EU’s statistics division, concentrates not on longevity as such ¹⁰ in different states but on longevity in good health. The research shows that while life expectancy is roughly equal ¹¹, years of healthy life vary markedly ¹².

Italy comes top of countries where people live longest free of a debilitating condition. Italian men live in a healthy state for an average 71 years, with women lasting until 74 with good health. When these figures are set against ¹³ the average age of death, Italians spend relatively little time in ill-health at the end of their lives – six years for men, eight years for women.
Other Mediterranean states also do well, with Spain registering 67 healthy years for men, and 70 for women, giving an average for both sexes of nine years of impaired ¹⁴ health.
However, France fares badly at 61 healthy years for men, and 64 for women, representing 17 years in poor health. Britain is little better at 61 healthy years for men and women, producing a similar period of disablement to the French.
Both countries fall below ¹⁵ the EU average of 64 healthy years for men, and 66 for women, representing 13 poor-health years.
Of course, diet is only one factor in the link between the Mediterranean and health. Climate, way of life and quality of healthcare also count. Doctors attribute much of the winter surge ¹⁶ in deaths in Britain to hypothermia in a country poorly equipped to cope ¹⁷ with occasional cold snaps ¹⁸. Cold can cause blood to thicken, leading to a heart attack or stroke.
Even so ¹⁹, research based on questionnaires completed across the continent, would seem to confirm the benefits ²⁰ of visiting the grocery stall and fishmonger.

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