欧洲寿命的显着区域变化受环境因素和生活方式行为的影响,包括饮食。这项研究调查了地理区域对从14世纪到现在的欧洲统治者寿命的影响。通过分析历史记录和文献,我们的目标是确定特定地区的饮食模式和生活方式因素,这可能有助于延长统治者的寿命。要检验的假设是,来自南欧国家的统治者,传统的地中海饮食被当地人食用,与其他地区的统治者相比,可能表现出更长的寿命,由于与这种饮食模式相关的有据可查的健康益处。我们为每个尺子提取了全面的信息,包括他们的性别,出生和死亡日期,年龄,登基的年龄,统治时期,国家,和死亡原因(自然与非自然)。为了确定他们的国籍,我们根据他们假设的今天居住地(2023年)对统治者进行编码。利用EuroVoc地理分类,我们将这些国家分为四个地区:北部,西方,南方,中欧和东欧。虽然Cox回归模型没有发现不同地区生存率的显著差异,按时间段分层的进一步分析显示出有趣的趋势。与我们最初的预测相反,与南部地区相比,北部地区在1354年至1499年之间表现出更好的生存率,而在1500年至1749年之间,北部地区的生存率相似。然而,1750年后,所有地区,除了南部地区,存活率显着提高,表明医疗保健和生活方式因素的进步。这些发现强调了地区和时间段对健康和长寿的动态影响。有趣的是,尽管地中海饮食在欧洲南部地区盛行,与其他地区的统治者相比,该地区的统治者并没有表现出更长的寿命。这表明额外的生活方式因素可能在他们的长寿中发挥了更重要的作用。总之,我们的研究揭示了区域之间错综复杂的关系,时间段,和欧洲统治者的寿命。虽然地中海饮食通常与健康益处有关,我们的发现表明,单靠它可能并不能解释不同地区统治者寿命的差异。有必要进行进一步的研究,以探索其他生活方式因素对整个历史上欧洲统治者的健康和寿命的影响。
Significant regional variability in lifespan in Europe is influenced by environmental factors and lifestyle behaviors, including diet. This study investigates the impact of geographical region on the lifespan of European rulers spanning from the fourteenth century to the present day. By analyzing historical records and literature, we aim to identify region-specific dietary patterns and lifestyle factors that may have contributed to longer lifespans among rulers. The hypothesis to be tested is that rulers from Southern European countries, where the traditional Mediterranean diet is consumed by the local people, may exhibit longer lifespans compared to rulers from other regions, due to the well-documented health benefits associated with this dietary pattern. We extracted comprehensive information for each ruler, encompassing their sex, birth and death dates, age, age of enthronement, duration of rulership, country, and cause of death (natural vs. non-natural). To determine their nationality, we coded rulers based on their hypothetical present-day residence (2023). Utilizing the EuroVoc Geographical classification, we categorized the countries into four regions: Northern, Western, Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. While Cox regression models did not find significant differences in survival rates among regions, further analysis stratified by time periods revealed intriguing trends. Contrary to our initial predictions, the Northern region displayed better survival rates compared to the Southern region between 1354 and 1499, whereas survival rates were similar across regions from 1500 to 1749. However, after 1750, all regions, except the Southern region, exhibited significantly improved survival rates, suggesting advancements in healthcare and lifestyle factors. These findings underscore the dynamic influence of both region and time period on health and longevity. Interestingly, despite the prevalence of the Mediterranean diet in the Southern region of Europe, rulers from this region did not demonstrate longer lifespans compared to their counterparts in other regions. This suggests that additional lifestyle factors may have played a more prominent role in their longevity. In conclusion, our study sheds light on the intricate relationship between region, time period, and lifespan among European rulers. Although the Mediterranean diet is often associated with health benefits, our findings indicate that it alone may not account for differences in ruler longevity across regions. Further research is warranted to explore the impact of other lifestyle factors on the health and lifespan of European rulers throughout history.