Clinical and epidemiological evidence of health benefits of the Mediterranean diet

A large body of scientific literature has shown that adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with a reduced risk of non-communicable diseases. Despite a variety of method of measurement of the adherence to the Mediterranean diet exists, there is consistent and convincing evidence of the associated decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases (including coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction), overall cancer incidence, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Emerging evidence is also showing that adherence to the Mediterranean diet might decrease risk of cognitive impairment and depressive disorders. Evidence from the clinical settings (i.e., the PREDIMED study) also provided insights of mechanistic pathways of the observed health benefits and example of application in real-life of dietary intervention using the Mediterranean diet to decrease the risk of chronic disease, especially in individuals at higher risk.