CIHEAM Press Review

The report argues that a renewed focus on the Mediterranean diet could help the region mitigate the impacts of climate change, promote sustainable agriculture and increase food security.

Participants adhering more closely to a Mediterranean diet experienced slower rates of cognitive decline than those who consumed more refined foods typical of the Western diet.

Individuals who had a high Mediterranean diet score compared to those who had the lowest score were equivalent to being 5.8 years younger in age cognitively.- Puja Agarwal, nutritional epidemiologist, Rush University

Changing  what we grow, cook, and eat is more imperative than ever if we want to have a chance to save the planet from the effects of climate change. Thankfully, we need to look no further than to the health, sustainability, and flavor principles of the Mediterranean Diet to adopt a road map to a better future.

Portugal’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced Terra Futura, a wide ranging plan to promote sustainability while boosting the country’s agricultural production and exports.

A world-famous expert on the Mediterranean diet, Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou, spoke to a Greek audience about “Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The Secrets We All Know” at the Food Expo in Athens this spring. “We all know olive oil,” she said; “it’s in our DNA. Olive oil is not only health … it is culture, it is tradition, it is the economy, it is the environment.”

Individuals who con­sume a typ­i­cal Mediterranean diet are less prone to anom­alies in gas­troin­testi­nal micro­biota, a grow­ing body of evi­dence sug­gests.
Now, researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), in the United Kingdom, are work­ing to add to this col­lec­tive knowl­edge. Haleh Moravej, a senior lec­turer in nutri­tional sci­ence at MMU, and a team of stu­dents at the uni­ver­sity have launched the MetMUnch ini­tia­tive in order to do so.

Researchers from the U.K., Australia and Spain explored the link between the risk of depression and following a high-quality diet rich in plant foods like the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet). They found close adherence to the eating plan could substantially reduce the likelihood of developing the mental illness.

The diet Greece, Spain and Italy are famous for - rich in fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil – is supposedly the healthiest in the world, but obesity is rocketing

Studies in thousands of adults have highlighted the protective role of the Mediterranean diet on abdominal obesity and a slew of other metabolic syndrome characteristics. But, even though evidence in adults abounds, the number of studies in adolescents that have examined the same beneficial effects has been disappointingly low.

Despite being officially introduced in the Brundtland Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development more than 20 years ago, it has only been over the last few years that the term…

We know we should eat nutritious foods to stay well, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Many also realize extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) offers numerous health benefits, so it can play a vital role in a healthy diet. While no food has been proven to prevent or treat COVID-19, some evidence suggests EVOO could help us combat the novel coronavirus.

Researchers found eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains but limited in sugar and processed meat promoted healthier cellular aging in women. Participants who followed the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and similar eating plans also had a reduced risk of chronic diseases.

People who followed a strict Mediterranean diet had a 33% lower risk of being diagnosed with depression compared to people who were least likely to follow these eating habits.
"There is compelling evidence to show that there is a relationship between the quality of your diet and your mental health," said Camille Lassale, research associate at University College London's department of epidemiology and public health in the UK. "This relationship goes beyond the effect of diet on your body size or other aspects of health that can in turn affect your mood."

A recent study suggests omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in foods like olive oil, walnuts and fish, can neutralize listeriosis-causing bacteria without increasing its resistance to antibiotics.