'There are many places around the world where people live longer and know how to be happier than the rest of us. Instead of depriving yourself, researchers say it’s better to look at cultures and regions around the world where diets are not just healthy, but also have highly protective qualities against scourges like cancer, depression, diabetes and heart disease. There are time-tested lifestyles that promise to protect us from a wide range of diseases. The key is knowing why they work and how to adopt them yourself.
Researchers have long tried to understand why some regions are much healthier than others. Epidemiological studies have looked at disease rates in conjunction with environmental and eating patterns in order to understand which factors are the most influential. This started in earnest in the 1980s, when researchers began studying the Mediterranean diet and found that it had significant health benefits.'
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