c class 2014-15 Med diet

1. The Mediterraneandietisamodern
nutritional recommendation originallyinspiredbythe traditional dietarypatternsof Greece,
SouthernItaly,andSpain. The principal aspectsof thisdietincludeproportionallyhigh
consumptionof olive oil,legumes,unrefinedcereals,fruits,andvegetables,moderateto
highconsumptionof fish,moderate consumptionof dairyproducts(mostlyascheese and
yogurt),moderate wine consumption,andlow consumptionof meatandmeatproducts.
A numberof dietshave receivedattention,butthe strongestevidence forabeneficial
healtheffectanddecreasedmortalityafterswitchingtoalargelyplantbaseddietcomes
fromstudiesof Mediterraneandiet,e.g.fromthe NIH-AARPDietandHealthStudy.
The Mediterraneandietofteniscitedasbeneficial forbeinglow insaturatedfatand
highinmonounsaturatedfatanddietaryfiber.One of the mainexplanationsisthoughttobe
the healtheffectsof olive oilincludedinthe Mediterraneandiet.
HISTORY:
Althoughitwasfirstpublicizedin 1975 by the AmericanbiologistAncel Keysand
chemistMargaret Keys (hiswife andcollaborator), the Mediterraneandietfailedtogain
widespreadrecognitionuntil the 1990s.Objective datashowingthatMediterraneandietis
healthyfirstoriginatedfromthe SevenCountriesStudy,with firstpublicationin1970, and a
book-lengthreportin1980.
The Mediterraneandietisbasedonwhatfromthe pointof view of mainstream
nutritionisconsideredaparadox:that althoughthe people livinginMediterranean
countriestendtoconsume relativelyhighamountsof fat,theyhave farlowerratesof
cardiovasculardisease thanincountrieslike the UnitedStates,where similarlevelsof fat
consumptionare found.A parallel phenomenonis knownasthe FrenchParadox.
A dietrichinsaladswas promotedinEnglandduringthe earlyRenaissance periodby
GiacomoCastelvetroinA Brief Accountof the Fruits,Herbs, and Vegetablesof Italy.
Nowadays, the Mediterranean diet is the healthier diet in the world