Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Athens Medical School in Greece have revealed that certain foods in the diet are more useful than others and are responsible for imparting health benefits. they arrived at this conclusion after analyzing data from 23,000 Greek men and women participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

The participants were followed up for an average of 8.5 years. The researchers rated them based on how closely their dietary habits adhered to the Mediterranean one.

The researchers write in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal that the study indicates "the dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes."

Overall there were 652 deaths among 12,694 participants whose diet scores were 0-4. In participants who had scores of at least 5 or more, there were 423 deaths among the 10,655 people. The researchers report that people who had higher scores were alive at the time of reporting.

"The analysis suggests that the dominant components of the Mediterranean diet... are moderate consumption of alcohol, mostly in the form of wine during meals, as it traditional in the Mediterranean countries, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and legume," said lead researcher Prof Dimitrios Trichopoulos, from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mediterranean Diet refers to the dietary habit in over 16 countries in the Mediterranean region. According to the American Heart Association, some of the highlights of this diet include:
* Plenty of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
* Olive oil instead of refined oils
* Low to moderate amount of dairy products, fish and poultry
* Low to moderate amount of wine

The above study further reinforces the health benefits conferred by this diet and also adds that following this regime may boost longevity.