The Mediterranean Diet

The origin of Mediterranean Diet.

The Mediterranean Diet is a modern nutritional recommendation.

The concept of a Mediterranean diet was developed to reflect "food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s". It was first publicized in 1975 by the American biologist Ancel Keys (the designer of K-Ration for US Army) and his wife the chemist Margaret Keys.

The first epidemiological study was the Seven Countries Study (University of Minnesota), directed by Ancel Keys, and it was built on 16 groups (cohorts) of people 40-59 aged from seven countries. One group in United States, two in Finland, one in Netherlands, three in Italy, two in former Yugoslavia (Croatia and Serbia), two in Greece and two in Japan, with a total of 12,000 persons.

The study result was the definition of the "Mediterranean Diet"

Benefits of Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet was estimated to decrease the risk of death. A 2016 review found similar weight loss as other diets. Active lifestyle, lower body mass index, no smoking and moderate alcohol consumption also may contribute to diet health effects.
In detail:

  • Heart disease:
    Decreased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. The Mediterranean Diet often is cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber. One of the main explanations is thought to be the health effects of olive oil included in the Mediterranean diet.
  • Diabetes:
    Two meta-analyses found that the Mediterranean Diet was associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • Cancer:
    A meta-analysis in 2008 found that strictly following the Mediterranean Diet reduced the risk of dying from cancer. Another 2014 systematic review and meta-analysis found that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a decreased risk of cancer mortality.
  • Cognitive ability:
    According to a 2013 systematic review, greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and slower cognitive decline.  It may also decrease other neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for health benefits gained by certain Mediterranean cultures. Physically active lifestyle, lower body mass index, cessation of smoking and moderate alcohol consumption also may contribute.

The Mediterranean Diet components.

The main diet's components are:

  1. Cereals
  2. Bluefish
  3. Olives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  4. Vegetables
  5. Fruits and dry fruits
  6. Natural flavours (garlic, onion, hot pepper, rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano) in place of salt

Furthermore, with limited use:

  1. Milk
  2. Cheeses
  3. Meats
  4. Red wine

In formulating of the Mediterranean Diet all above items were quantified in servings such that this gives the indication about importance of quantity. In fact, the populations examined did moderate use of of them.

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