Substantial evidence has verified the Mediterranean diet's (MedDiet) nutritional adequacy, long-term sustainability, and effectiveness for preventing hard clinical events from cardiovascular disease ...(CVD), as well as increasing longevity. This article includes a cumulative meta-analysis of prospective studies supporting a strong inverse association between closer adherence to the MedDiet and the incidence of hard clinical events of CVD. The MedDiet has become an increasingly popular topic of interest when focusing on overall food patterns rather than single nutrient intake, not only in Mediterranean countries, but also globally. However, several myths and misconceptions associated with the traditional Mediterranean diet should be clearly addressed and dispelled, particularly those that label as "Mediterranean" an eating pattern that is not in line with the traditional Mediterranean diet. The transferability of the traditional MedDiet to the non-Mediterranean populations is possible, but it requires a multitude of changes in dietary habits. New approaches for promoting healthy dietary behavior consistent with the MedDiet will offer healthful, sustainable, and practical strategies at all levels of public health. The following article presents practical resources and knowledge necessary for accomplishing these changes.
Nowadays the food production, supply and consumption chain represent a major cause of ecological pressure on the natural environment, and diet links worldwide human health with environmental ...sustainability. Food policy, dietary guidelines and food security strategies need to evolve from the limited historical approach, mainly focused on nutrients and health, to a new one considering the environmental, socio-economic and cultural impact-and thus the sustainability-of diets.
To present an updated version of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid (MDP) to reflect multiple environmental concerns.
We performed a revision and restructuring of the MDP to incorporate more recent findings on the sustainability and environmental impact of the Mediterranean Diet pattern, as well as its associations with nutrition and health. For each level of the MDP we provided a third dimension featuring the corresponding environmental aspects related to it.
The new environmental dimension of the MDP enhances food intake recommendations addressing both health and environmental issues. Compared to the previous 2011 version, it emphasizes more strongly a lower consumption of red meat and bovine dairy products, and a higher consumption of legumes and locally grown eco-friendly plant foods as much as possible.
A Mediterranean diet (one that is high in vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts, and fish and low in meat and high-fat dairy products and that includes moderate intake of alcohol) is believed to have ...health benefits. In this large prospective cohort study conducted in Greece, greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduction in overall mortality, and specifically in mortality due to coronary disease or cancer, after adjustment for body-mass index, physical-activity level, and other potential confounders.
In this large study in Greece, lower mortality due to coronary disease or cancer.
Many studies have evaluated the associations between food groups, foods, or nutrients and chronic diseases, and a consensus about the role of nutritional factors in the etiology of these diseases has gradually emerged.
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During the past 10 years, several groups of investigators have attempted to identify dietary patterns associated with increased longevity.
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Because these studies have used data that were collected for other purposes, they have usually not included general populations or have not had sufficient information to control for energy intake or physical activity, two variables that are crucial in studies of diet.
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The Mediterranean diet has been linked to a number of health benefits, including reduced mortality risk and lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. Definitions of the Mediterranean diet vary ...across some settings, and scores are increasingly being employed to define Mediterranean diet adherence in epidemiological studies. Some components of the Mediterranean diet overlap with other healthy dietary patterns, whereas other aspects are unique to the Mediterranean diet. In this forum article, we asked clinicians and researchers with an interest in the effect of diet on health to describe what constitutes a Mediterranean diet in different geographical settings, and how we can study the health benefits of this dietary pattern.
The consumption of various herbal infusions was and is common in the traditional Mediterranean diet, and apparently are used in many other regions of the world outside of the Mediterranean region. ...The present study aimed to investigate the consumption of herbal infusions/decoctions and tea in a nationally representative sample of Greece, considering also their Planetary use.
3951 adult participants of the HYDRIA Survey (2013-2014) were included from the 13 regions of Greece. The diet of participants was assessed by two 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDR) and the Food Propensity Questionnaire (FPQ). All food items were analyzed through the HYDRIA Food Composition Tables. Information on socio-demographics, lifestyle, and health characteristics during the baseline was also provided.
26.9% of herbal infusions and decoctions consumers are ≥ 75 years old, pensioners with a low level of education, and residents of urban areas. However, 22.2% of tea consumers belong to the 18-34-year age group, being employed with an intermediate level of education and living in an urban area. Elderly men and women use more herbal infusions/decoctions (55.4%; 40.6%) compared to tea (41.8%; 25.2%). According to FPQ, 7.1% of men and 9.7% of women use herbal infusions and decoctions four times or more per week, while 7.1 and 10.9% of men and women, respectively, consume tea at the same frequency. Green tea, mountain tea (Sideritis spp.), and black tea are reported most frequently. In addition, mountain tea (61.2%), black tea (60.3%), mixed herbal infusions/decoctions (58.4%), and sage (59.4%) are consumed mostly at breakfast, while chamomile was reported mainly at dinner or during the night (42.4%).
Based on the FPQ results, the moderate and high consumption of herbal infusions/decoctions and tea is low in Greece, especially among adults (18-64 years). Thus, our results indicate the existence of a generation gap to the attachment to the traditional Med Diet and the consumption of herbal infusions. The present study could encourage future research to focus on herbal infusions and decoctions consumption by other populations for cross-cultural comparison, as well as on emphasizing the value of consuming locally available herbs in a Planeterranean perspective.
Dietary (food) supplements (DSs) have seen a sharp increase in use and popularity in recent years. Information on DS consumption is vital for national nutrition monitoring. The objective of this ...study was to investigate whether DS intake was reported in the National Nutrition Surveys (NNSs) in all European countries. NNSs reporting DS use were retrieved via literature review (i.e., PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus), scientific and organizational publications (EFSA), or open-published government and other official reports. Included were the European NNSs referring to adults, published in English, French, or German, post-2000. Out of the 53 European countries, 30 recorded DS intake. Among them, related findings on the percentage of DS intake were published in 21 cases, 5 of them written in the local language. DS use varied by nation, with Finland and Denmark having the greatest (over 50%) and Italy having the lowest percentage (5%). In terms of comprehensive reported data on DS consumption in Europe and the investigation of the contribution of DSs to total nutrient intake, there is a need for improvement. Common DS categories should be defined upon agreement among the involved scientific parties to allow for comparable data and estimations between surveys.
Ten years ago the Mediterranean diet was inscribed into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. ...This official recognition of the Mediterranean diet as intangible cultural heritage, and awareness of its significance, has provided us with a measure with which to monitor our path in the field. Indeed, the last ten years has seen several undertakings with varying implications in the years to come. Emphasis on safeguarding the intangible heritage of the Mediterranean diet and activities to avoid possible erosions which may affect it at a national, regional and local level have taken centre stage. Preserving our heritage also recognized the importance of further research and we ask what needs to be focused on over the next ten years. Gradually, several myths and misconceptions associated with the traditional Mediterranean diet have emerged and should be clearly addressed and dispelled, particularly those that label as “Mediterranean” an eating pattern that is not in line with the traditional diet. Going beyond physical health benefits, the Mediterranean diet naturally infuses any reference to ‘Sustainability’ by pure definition as ideally, sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically affordable, nutritionally adequate, and safe and healthy. As our ‘Regional’ Mediterranean diet becomes the base for a global reference diet with all the acknowledged benefits, we agree that ‘humanity as a whole’ will benefit from its preservation and scientific-based evidence. A true ‘intangible cultural heritage of humanity’.
To present the Mediterranean diet (MD) pyramid: a lifestyle for today.
A new graphic representation has been conceived as a simplified main frame to be adapted to the different nutritional and ...socio-economic contexts of the Mediterranean region. This review gathers updated recommendations considering the lifestyle, dietary, sociocultural, environmental and health challenges that the current Mediterranean populations are facing.
Mediterranean region and its populations.
Many innovations have arisen since previous graphical representations of the MD. First, the concept of composition of the 'main meals' is introduced to reinforce the plant-based core of the dietary pattern. Second, frugality and moderation is emphasised because of the major public health challenge of obesity. Third, qualitative cultural and lifestyle elements are taken into account, such as conviviality, culinary activities, physical activity and adequate rest, along with proportion and frequency recommendations of food consumption. These innovations are made without omitting other items associated with the production, selection, processing and consumption of foods, such as seasonality, biodiversity, and traditional, local and eco-friendly products.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle and preserving cultural elements should be considered in order to acquire all the benefits from the MD and preserve this cultural heritage. Considering the acknowledgment of the MD as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (2010), and taking into account its contribution to health and general well-being, we hope to contribute to a much better adherence to this healthy dietary pattern and its way of life with this new graphic representation.
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