X-Message-Number: 27423
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 17:05:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: guzzle olive oil = live longer

Exp Gerontol 2005 Apr;40(4):335-43
Unsaturated fatty acids intake and all-causes mortality: a 8.5-year
follow-up of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging.
  Recent evidence suggested a protective role of dietary monounsaturated
fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intakes against
several chronic diseases and, therefore, an increased human
longevity. After a median follow-up of 8.5 years, we investigated the
possible role of MUFA, PUFA, and other selected food groups in protecting
against all-causes mortality in a population-based, prospective study,
conducted in one of the eight centers of the Italian Longitudinal Study
on Aging (ILSA), Casamassima, Bari, Italy. Out of 704 elderly subjects
(65-84 years), 278 nondemented persons agreed to participate at the first
survey (1992-1993). During the follow-up, there were 91 deaths. A
semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire evaluating macronutrient
daily intakes were performed at the first survey. Higher MUFA intake was
associated with an increase of survival (hazard ratio 0.81, 95% CI
0.66-0.99), a higher unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) to SFA ratio (hazard
ratio 1.20, 95% CI 0.99-1.45) increased total mortality only marginally,
while no effect about other selected food groups were found. In
conclusion, in this prospective study on older nondemented
subjects with a typical Mediterranean diet, a higher MUFA intake
increased survival, while a higher UFA/SFA ratio increased total
mortality, but only marginally.

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