This article is about the dietary recommendation that became popular in the 1990s. For food of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea, see Mediterranean cuisine.
Some of the products that make up the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is a diet inspired by the eating habits and traditional food typical of southern Spain, southern Italy, and Crete, and formulated in the early 1960s.[1] It is distinct from Mediterranean cuisine, which covers the actual cuisines of the Mediterranean countries, and from the Atlantic diet of northwestern Spain and Portugal. While inspired by a specific time and place, the "Mediterranean diet" was later refined based on the results of multiple scientific studies.[2]
This approach emphasizes a plant-based diet, focusing on unprocessed cereals, legumes, vegetables, and fruits.[3][4] It also includes moderate consumption of fish, dairy products (mostly cheese and yogurt), and a low amount of red meat.[3][5] Olive oil has been studied as a potential health factor for reducing all-cause mortality and the risk of chronic diseases.[6]
The Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality in observational studies.[7][8] A 2017 review provided evidence that the Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of heart disease and early death.[9] The Mediterranean diet may help with weight loss in obese people.[10] The Mediterranean diet is one of three healthy diets recommended in the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, along with the DASH diet and vegetarian diet.[11]
As a nutritional recommendation, the Mediterranean diet is different from the cultural practices identified by UNESCO in 2010 under the heading "Mediterranean diet" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which defined the diet as "a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions concerning crops, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking, and particularly the sharing and consumption of food".[12][13]
^Willett WC (June 1995). "Mediterranean diet pyramid: a cultural model for healthy eating". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 61 (6): 1402S–1406S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/61.6.1402S. PMID 7754995.
^Davis, Courtney; Bryan, Janet; Hodgson, Jonathan; Murphy, Karen (5 November 2015). "Definition of the Mediterranean Diet: A Literature Review". Nutrients. 7 (11): 9139–53. doi:10.3390/nu7115459. PMC 4663587. PMID 26556369.
^ ab"Mediterranean Diet". Cleveland Clinic. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^Duarte A, Fernandes J, Bernardes J, Miguel G (2016). "Citrus as a Component of the Mediterranean Diet". Journal of Spatial and Organizational Dynamics - JSOD. 4: 289–304.
^"Diet Review: Mediterranean Diet". The Nutrition Source, Harvard University School of Public Health. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^Larsson, S (2022). "Can Small Amounts of Olive Oil Keep the Death Away?". Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 79 (2): 113–115. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2021.11.006. PMID 35027107. S2CID 245933012.
^Arnett, Donna K.; Blumenthal, Roger S.; Albert, Michelle A.; et al. (17 March 2019). "2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease". Circulation. 140 (11): e596–e646. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678. PMC 7734661. PMID 30879355.
^Guasch-Ferré, M; Willett, WC (2021). "The Mediterranean diet and health: a comprehensive overview". Journal of Internal Medicine. 290 (3): 549–566. doi:10.1111/joim.13333. PMID 34423871.
^Dinu, M; Pagliai, G; Casini, A; Sofi, F (10 May 2017). "Mediterranean diet and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies and randomised trials". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 72 (1): 30–43. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2017.58. hdl:2158/1081996. PMID 28488692. S2CID 7702206.
^Pallazola, Vincent A.; Davis, Dorothy M.; Whelton, Seamus P.; et al. (2019). "A Clinician's Guide to Healthy Eating for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention". Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes. 3 (3): 251–267. doi:10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2019.05.001. ISSN 2542-4548. PMC 6713921. PMID 31485563.
^"2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans" (National guidelines). Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
^"Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 5.COM 6.41, Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco have nominated the Mediterranean diet for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". United Nations (UNESCO), Section of Intangible Cultural Heritage. 2010.
^"UNESCO – Culture – Intangible Heritage – Lists & Register – Inscribed Elements – Mediterranean Diet". Retrieved 3 April 2014.
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