COLDIRETTI: THE RECORD FOR LONGEVITY IS AT RISK WITHOUT THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

Bread, pasta, fruit, vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and the traditional glass of wine that have been long consumed at mealtimes has allowed older Italians to earn record numbers for longevity. Today, however, this risks being lost with the progressive abandon, above all by the younger generations, of the main principles of the Mediterranean diet. This was the confirmation made recently by the Italian agricultural organization Coldiretti during the presentation of the study conducted by the magazine ‘Lancet’ on the longevity of the 25 countries in the European Union, which revealed that Italian men are the longest living in Europe (life expectancy, 80.4 years), and Italian women are second only to French women (85.4 years).

“The changes in food habits” – sustains Coldiretti – “begin to have worrisome effects on one third of young Italians who are obese or overweight precisely because of decreased physical activity as well as incorrect nutrition with the excessive consumption of foods that are fatty and high in sugar content like carbonated sodas. Being overweight or obese weighs heavily on health because they are a significant risk factor for many illnesses like with heart and circulatory problems, diabetes, hypertension, heat attacks and certain types of cancer. According to a recent consultation by the European Union, it also appears that illnesses directly related to obesity are responsible for a good 7% of health costs”.

Coldiretti concluded: “It is necessary, therefore, to intervene in homes and in schools with greater attention to menus, in cafeterias as well where the presence of healthy foods like traditional products and local fruits and vegetables should be guaranteed, and that are too often missing from the meals of younger generations, favoring a responsible consumption of local, fresh, and healthy foods like orange juice, seasonal fruits and vegetables that can even be snacked on can to give a sense of satiety and guarantee an adequate nutritional intake that can contribute to defeating the problems of excess weight and obesity”.