Mediterranean Diet and Health Benefits
Mediterranean diets have long been associated with benefits to cardiovascular health. In the mid-20th century, the Seven Countries study showed that dietary patterns in the Mediterranean and in Japan in the 1960s were associated with low rates of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality.
Since then, research has shown that this type of diet not only benefits cardiovascular health, but it also reduces the risk of many other health conditions.
And recently, evidence has been increasing for the wide-ranging health benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. But what makes Mediterranean diets so healthy, exactly?
“The Mediterranean diet is characterized by high fruit and vegetables, high fiber, high levels of ‘good fats,’ moderate intakes of fish and meat, low amounts of high processed foods and sugary treat foods,” noted Dr. Eamon Laird, a visiting research fellow at Trinity College, Dublin, in Ireland.
“These food components give high amounts of fiber, good fats, antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals — choline, vitamin C, potassium, B-vitamins, vitamin D from fish, etc. — [and] proteins which give health benefits throughout a large number of organ and tissue systems,” he explained.
Although the exact mechanism by which the Mediterranean diet benefits health is unclear, there is increasing evidence that the diet can have five main effects:
Lowering lipids
Protecting against oxidative stress, inflammation, and platelet aggregation
Modifying hormones and growth factors involved in cancer pathogenesis
Restricting specific amino acids
Influencing the gut microbiome to produce metabolites that benefit metabolic health.
Omega-3 fatty acids, phytosterols, resveratrol, vitamins, and polyphenols may contribute to lower levels of inflammation, and may improve endothelial function. By reducing levels of inflammation, improving blood flow, improving insulin sensitivity, and improving lipid metabolism, by default you are also reducing some of the major risk factors for CVD, cognitive decline, cancers, and diabetes.
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