Summarize the components of the Mediterranean diet and discuss its health benefits, real or exaggerated

Answer 1

The Mediterranean diet focuses on minimally processed (whole) foods. It features an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, and legumes; includes, in moderation, fish, red wine, nuts, and dairy products (mostly yogurt and cheese); and limits sweets, refined carbohydrates, sodium, and red and processed meats. Although it is a semi-vegetarian diet, up to 40 percent of the total daily caloric intake may come from fat—mostly monounsaturated fat from olive oil. Moderate intake of red wine is included with meals.

More than a "diet," the Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern that has existed for centuries. According to the largest and most comprehensive observational study on this dietary pattern, the health benefits and decreased mortality are not linked to any specific component of the diet (such as olive oil or red wine) but are achieved through the interaction of all the components of the pattern. Those who adhere most closely to the dietary pattern have a lower incidence of heart disease (33 percent) and deaths from cancer (24 percent).

Another study involving more than 120,000 men and women reported an increase in life expectancy of 15.1 and 8.4 years in women and men respectively who followed a combined healthy lifestyle approach: (1) regular physical activity, (2) eating a Mediterranean diet, (3) not smoking, and (4) maintaining healthy body weight.

The Mediterranean diet has also been linked to lower risk for metabolic syndrome and stroke, improved brain health and cognitive function, and lower risk for Alzheimer's disease. Although most people in the United States focus on the olive oil component of the diet, olive oil is used mainly as a means to increase consumption of vegetables because vegetables sautéed in oil taste better than steamed vegetables.