The Mediterranean diet menu is based on the food patterns of people living in the Mediterranean region, specifically those living in Crete and other parts of Greece and Italy. The diet is characterized by a high intake of fruits, vegetables, unrefined cereals and fish. Dairy, poultry and meat products and wine are consumed in low to moderate amounts. The high intake of olive oil as the principal source of fat is also regarded as an integral part of the Mediterranean diet menu.
Interest in the food patterns of the people in the Mediterranean region has been present since the 1940s due to the relatively low incidence of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases (diabetes and cancers) in the region. However, world-wide recognition of its health benefits was only recorded during the 1990s as mortality due to heart diseases and cancers drastically increased at this time in many parts of the Western world. Also, the move of many Western populations, mainly of Americans, towards a healthier lifestyle fueled the popularity of alternative dietary patterns like the Mediterranean diet menu.
Although the Mediterranean diet menu is not totally void of fats (at times containing as much fat as the normal Western diet), the difference lies in the type and sources of fat being consumed. Whereas the American diet is high on saturated animal fats, from butter and lard, the Mediterranean diet menu is rich in unsaturated fats from plant and fish sources. Olive oil, which is one of the principal components of the Mediterranean diet menu, is rich in (mono) unsaturated fats that actually lower cholesterol levels in the blood.
The medical research on the Mediterranean diet menu mostly concentrate on the various nutrients present in the diet, such as antioxidants, fiber, and monounsaturated fatty acids, and their role in preventing the development of cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
A review of the available data that link olive oil, specifically, and the Mediterranean diet, generally, to decreased rates of heart disease risk factors, including clogged arteries, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels, was published in a leading US medical journal (The Journal of the American College of Surgeons) in 2008. The paper highlights the several components of olive oil that have beneficial effects.
The book Olives by Ioannis Nikolaos Therios describes the role of the minor components of the Mediterranean diet menu in preventing cancers. Recent studies also showed the beneficial and synergistic effects of red wine and green olive oil consumption on endothelial (blood vessel) function, and linked the components of the Mediterranean diet menu with decreased cancer risks. Such as breast cancers, digestive tract cancers, urinary tract cancers, female genital tract cancers and epithelial cancers among those living in northern Italy.
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