The Mediterranean diet revisited—towards resolving the (French) paradox

Extract

The Mediterranean diet traditionally refers to diets typical of the olive‐growing regions of the Mediterranean, but has a number of important constituents in addition to olive oil. These include: a large consumption of salads and legumes, and also wheat, olives, grapes, other fruits and their derivative products, including alcohol.¹ As noted by Trichopoulou and Lagiou,¹ total fat consumption may be high, at around 40% of total energy, as in Greece, or moderate, at around 30% of total energy, as in Italy. In Italy, the diet is characterized by pasta consumption, whereas in Spain fish consumption is particularly high. Ferro‐Luzzi and Sette² and de Lorgeril³ also comment on the difficulty of adequately defining a Mediterranean diet. According to Trichopoulou,¹ moderate alcohol consumption is an essential component, but moderate is not defined quantitatively. Ancel Keys, pioneer of the Seven Countries Study, had a hand in promoting the idea of a Mediterranean diet in his cookery book, written with his wife, ‘How to eat and stay well, the Mediterranean way’.