Heart problems rare for remote Greek monks: doctors

By Daniel Flynn

ATHENS (Reuters Life!) - Monks from medieval male-only communities on Greece's Mount Athos have far lower levels of heart and lung disease than average Europeans despite only rudimentary healthcare, Medecins du Monde said on Wednesday.

Doctors from the French medical charity who visited the 1,000-year-old, reclusive religious community at the weekend to provide medical attention found its monks to be in exceptionally good health.

"Cardiological problems faced by the monks are very few and have no relation, in terms of frequency, with the general population," said MDM Greece's spokeswoman Sophia Ioannou, adding that lung problems were also practically unknown.

The seven-man team of specialists treated around 200 monks from four of the most remote monasteries on Mount Athos, which lies some 270 km (170 miles) north of Athens on the Halkidiki peninsula. Eye problems were the most common complaint.

"Mainly due to two reasons, living conditions and good nutrition, the diseases frequently faced by Western societies, coronary disease and lung disease are not confronted by this population," she said.

Given to the monks by Byzantine imperial decree in the 9th century, Mount Athos forms a self-governing region within Greece. Women -- and even female livestock -- are not allowed on the mountain, which has only one clinic for its 3,000 monks, some of whom live as hermits in caves.

Life is lived as closely as possible to Byzantine times: the monasteries celebrate Christmas 14 days behind the rest of Greece as they still use the Julian calendar. The monks also observe a high number of fast days each year, seldom eat meat, and cultivate their own wines, fruit and vegetables.

Britain's Prince Charles is a frequent visitor to the UNESCO world heritage site, whose monasteries house priceless ancient manuscripts, icons and art works which are only gradually being catalogued.

A report published by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation on Tuesday said the Mediterranean region was fast abandoning its traditionally healthy diet and modern Greeks had become the plumpest nation in Europe, with three-quarters of the population obese or overweight.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)