Mediterranean diet

The diet took inspiration from the eating habits and traditional food typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy, and formulated in the early 1960s.

[3][4] It also includes moderate consumption of fish, dairy products (mostly cheese and yogurt), and a low amount of red meat.

[17] These reviews insisted upon the need for further standardized research,[18] stating that the evidence for possible prevention of cardiovascular disease by the diet was "limited and highly variable".

[22] The European Food Safety Authority Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies approved health claims on olive oil, for protection by its polyphenols against oxidation of blood lipids[23] and for the contribution to the maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol levels by replacing saturated fats in the diet with oleic acid[24] (Commission Regulation (EU) 432/2012 of 16 May 2012).

[25] A 2014 meta-analysis concluded that an elevated consumption of olive oil is associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events and stroke, while monounsaturated fatty acids of mixed animal and plant origin showed no significant effects.

[26] The American Heart Association discussed the Mediterranean diet as a healthy dietary pattern that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

[28] A 2024 review highlighted that bioactive compounds found in Mediterranean diet components (such as olive, grape, garlic, rosemary, and saffron) exhibit properties that may contribute to cardiovascular health.

[37][38][39] A 2019 review found that the Mediterranean diet may help obese people lower the quantity and improve the nutritional quality of food intake, with an overall effect of possibly losing body weight.

[10] A 2016 systematic review found a relation between greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet and better cognitive performance; it is unclear if the relationship is causal.

[40] According to a 2013 systematic review, greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is correlated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and slower cognitive decline.

[41] Another 2013 systematic review reached similar conclusions, and also found a negative association with the risk of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's, but acknowledged that only a small number of studies had been done on the topic.

[64] The most commonly understood version of the Mediterranean diet was presented by, among others, Walter Willett and colleagues of the Harvard University School of Public Health since the mid-1990s.

[72][73] In 2018, the European Journal of Public Health questioned the value of the traditional Mediterranean diet due to homogenization of dietary choices and food products in the global economy.