🇮🇹Mediterranean Longevity Practices

The Mediterranean region contains two of the five Blue Zones — Sardinia (Italy) and Ikaria (Greece) — and the Mediterranean diet is the most studied dietary pattern in the history of nutritional science. The PREDIMED trial, one of the largest randomized nutrition studies ever conducted, demonstrated a 30% reduction in cardiovascular events with a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts. The lifestyle extends beyond food: daily walking, strong multigenerational family bonds, afternoon rest, and moderate wine consumption with meals all contribute to the longevity profile. Sardinian men have the highest ratio of male centenarians in the world, attributed in part to steep-terrain shepherding that provides lifelong natural exercise.