ISHS Acta Horticulturae 744: I International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables
UPDATE ON MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE |
| Authors: | D. Lairon, C. Defoort, R. Planells, M.-J. Amiot-Carlin |
| Keywords: | cardiovascular, diet, dietary, fat, legumes, Mediterranean, vegetable |
| Abstract:
The recent traditional Mediterranean diet, as studied in the 1950-60s in the South of Europe is characterized by moderate energy intake, low animal fat, high olive oil, high cereals, high legumes, nuts and vegetables, regular and moderate wine. The Seven country study conducted in the 1950-60s generated the concept that traditional Mediterranean diet is beneficial for health and particularly protects against cardiovascular disease. This was further confirmed by the MONICA European project in the 1980s. More recent epidemiological studies showed that adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated to reduced cardiovascular mortality. Fruit and vegetable take part in such a beneficial effect. Moreover, dietary intervention studies have demonstrated that adoption of a Mediterranean-type diet reduced cardiovascular risk factors and/or cardiovascular events or mortality in subjects at risk or patients. Numerous important foodstuffs and nutrients characterizing the Mediterranean diet have been shown to beneficially alter cardiovascular risk factors. Nevertheless, during the last decades, dietary habits have markedly evolved in the Mediterranean area, with more fat, meat, eggs, dairy products and sugar and less cereals, legumes, vegetables and seafood in Southern Europe. Thus, important efforts have to be made to counteract this detrimental trend and to update and popularize the use of Mediterranean diet for health benefit. | |
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