Can you eat your way to a longer, healthier life? And if so, what diet might best foster longevity? Over the past decade or so, a long string of studies has added to the evidence that a Mediterranean-type diet may do wonders for the body and mind. In this podcast episode, we look at what this type of diet can and cannot do for our health and lifespan.
Who, by now, has not heard of the many benefits of the Mediterranean diet? Characterized by a reliance on fresh, whole vegetables, fruits, and legumes, with a moderate amount of oily fish, this diet seems to help with everything from weight loss to better heart health.
In 2025 alone, different studies have found that a Mediterranean-type diet is linked to better brain health, a lower risk of cancer, lower blood pressure, and even a decreased risk of chronic constipation.
Research looking at how a Mediterranean diet may help protect memory, for instance, has suggested that it has a unique and beneficial effect on the gut, which could influence what happens in other parts of the body.
In time, some researchers have even come up with certain modified versions of the generic Mediterranean diet, in order to help with specific health issues, many of which appear as the body ages.
Most recently, a team from Spain found that following a lower-calorie Mediterranean diet was associated with improved weight management and bone density. The best-known modified versions of this diet, however, are the Green Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet.
The Green Mediterranean diet emphasizes whole, fresh, plant-based foods and does not include any meat. This version is meant to be not only more environmentally friendly but also better at reducing visceral fat — the type of fat that accumulates around organs, and can cause them damage.
It may also help slow down brain aging and lower blood sugar levels, recent research has shown. The MIND diet, however — which combines elements of the classic Mediterranean and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets — was specifically designed to fight cognitive decline.
In this episode of In Conversation, Thomas (Tom) Barber, MD, helps us unpick the evidence linking a Mediterranean diet to a longer, healthier life, and offers his own tips on how to make our diets healthier as we continue our journeys through life.
Dr. Barber is a professor of endocrinology, consultant endocrinologist, and obesity expert at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, the University of Warwick, and Coventry University in the United Kingdom. In 2023, he and his colleagues published a review of the existing evidence discussing the effects of the Mediterranean diet on health and the gut microbiota.
Dr. Barber has previously joined us on In Conversation to lend his expert perspective on the history of insulin therapy, lifestyle changes to reverse prediabetes, and what a person can do to slow down diabetes-related brain aging.
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