Mediterranean diets have been consistently linked to health benefits, but a new study reveals how eating this way keeps your genes young.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston dropped some serious knowledge in one of the largest studies about the Mediterranean diet. Published by the British Medical Journal, the study provides an analysis of 4,676 women’s diets and blood test results. Researchers determined that the fatty fish-friendly diet prevents your chromosomes from deteriorating.

Middle-school biology breakdown: Chromosomes constantly replicate throughout our lives. They have little hats and boots called telomeres. The older we get, the shorter the telomeres can become. Short telomeres offer less protection to your chromosomes, which results in cellular aging and its related diseases. According to the study, those who follow a Mediterranean diet have longer telomeres, thus longer lives.

You don’t have to be old to have cells that can register for AARP; smoking, stress and inflammation can also shorten telomeres. The researchers comprehensively accounted for these and other variables before reaching their conclusion.

If you’ve been doubting the Mediterranean diet, it’s not too late to grab some olive oil.