Mediterranean diet. Characteristics and health benefits
Serra Majem, Lís.; García Alvarez, A.; Ngo de la Cruz, J.
Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion 54(2 Suppl 1): 44-51
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-0622 PMID: 15584472 Document Number: 572867
This article defines the concept of Mediterranean diet or diets and describes the associated health benefits recognized by the scientific community. The characteristics of the Mediterranean diet are described as well as the effects of the foods comprising it on the most common pathologies such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. The Spanish Society of Community Nutrition's consensus based Healthy Diet Pyramid and the Greece's pyramid for food guidelines for the adult population (from the Greek Ministry of Health) are presented and compared. They are the graphic representation of the food and physical activity guides of 2 typically Mediterranean countries. Nutritional and sociological trends are also discussed and their impact on the evolution of the Mediterranean diet.