By Christine Pirovolakis, dpa
Athens (dpa) - Living like a monk may have the spiritual benefit
of saving one's soul, a recent study into one of the world's most
isolated monastic communities revealed as their dietary and healthy
living habits have resulted in lower cancer rates.
The dietary and lifestyle habits of monks on the all-male
community in Mount Athos have shown that regular consumption of olive
oil, daily portions of fish, seasonal fruit and vegetables are among
the main contributors towards keeping prostate cancer below
international averages, data presented by urologist Haralambos
Aidonopoulos showed.
"It is not just the Mediterranean diet that helps but generally a
diet consisting of old, traditional standards," Aidonopoulos told
Deutsche-Presse Agentur dpa.
Aidonopoulos said he had examined hundreds of monks living on
Mount Athos since 1994 and found that the incidence of prostate
cancer was four times lower than the international average.
The study found that in the last 13 years, there had been 11
reported cases of prostate cancer among the more than 1,500 monks
living in the 20 different monasteries in the segregated community in
north-western Greece from which women are banned.
Other factors in the same study shown to keep prostate cancer at
bay were the stress-free existence of the monks away from women,
proper sleep patterns and the lack of air pollution.
The lifestyle habits and traditions of the various monasteries on
the peninsula, which the Prince of Wales visits regularly and which
are only accessible by boat, have not changed in 1,000 years.
Meals on Mount Athos are simple and do not contain meat, but fish
is a regular fare on holidays and feast days such as Christmas and
Easter.
The staple foods are bread, olives, vegetables, rice, pasta, soya
dishes and fruit. In fact,the monks grow much of what they consume
themselves.
Monks usually indulge in a glass of red wine, which is made
locally from mountain grapes, with their dinner but on fast days -
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - they abstain from wine, olive oil
and dairy products altogether.
Many of the monastic communities on Mount Athos eat twice a day,
and have bread and tea for breakfast and a supper of lentils, salad
and fruit, except during the rigorous fasting periods of the Orthodox
Church, when some will eat only at midday.
The average day begins with an hour of prayers before dawn and
meal times are conducted in silence while one of the monks usually
reads a passage from the Bible. The monks normally have to eat at
great speed because once the reading is over the meal is officially
completed.
The rest of the day is spent doing chores such as cleaning,
tending to crops and cooking followed by evening prayers.
Copyright 2008 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH