Agree, trying to isolate a single variable additionally creates an illusion: that if one removes all the negative variables and adds all the positive variables

Agree, trying to isolate a single variable additionally creates an illusion: that if one removes all the negative variables and adds all the positive variables you get a super-positive result: if all you eat is fibers and anti-oxidants you will surely die a premature death to put it crassly. It ignores that things work in concert: a healthy life is about balance, i.e. in this case: a Mediterranean diet seems to nullify the impact of alcohol (which I assume is the reason for the low heart disease rates in France and Spain, despite having double the average alcohol intake compared to say the Nordics).