In Italy, the longevity record of Europe: 14,456 people over one hundred years old

Thanks to the Mediterranean Diet, made up of varied dishes and linked to the local tradition, Italy is the Country with the record of longevity in Europe, with 14,456 over 100 years old along with France. This is what Coldiretti says, on the basis of the Istat 2019 report on the “Centenaries of Italy”. Bread, pasta, fruit, vegetables, meat, extra virgin olive oil and a glass of wine eaten at the table in regular meals have allowed the Italians to conquer the European record. This is a food model appreciated all over the world as demonstrated by the record of food exports made in Italy, which reached 41.8 billion in 2018, according to Coldiretti analysis. An elixir of life that was also recognized with the inclusion of the Mediterranean Diet in the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2010, but the Mediterranean Diet has also been classified as the best diet in the world of 2019 on the basis of the best diet ranking 2019 prepared by the U.S. media “U.S. News & World Report”, known worldwide for the drafting of rankings and advice for consumers.
The result of the Mediterranean Diet, explains Coldiretti, was obtained thanks to the first place in five specific categories: prevention and treatment of diabetes, healthy eating, benefits for the heart, vegetable-based components and ease to follow it. Historically, the canonization and worldwide appreciation for the Mediterranean diet is due to the studies of the American scientist Ancel Keys, who first highlighted the beneficial effects, after living for over 40 years in Acciaroli, in the province of Salerno. The new award is also a response to the alarmist labels based on the nutritional components that some Countries, from Great Britain to Chile, are applying on different foods of the Mediterranean Diet on the basis of their fat, sugar or salt content: an infamous brand, which favors artificial products and, concludes Coldiretti, already unjustly affects the packaging of extra virgin olive oil made in Italy, the symbolic product of the Mediterranean diet.