Benefits of a mediterranean diet

What is a Mediterranean diet?

Put simply, a Mediterranean diet is the typical way of eating enjoyed by people who live in the area around the Mediterranean Sea. This includes the inhabitants of Greece, Italy, Spain and Southern France.

The climate of the region attracts thousands of sun-seeking holiday-makers every year. But it also enables the people who live there to enjoy a diet which is fairly unique.

However, there are variations from place to place. The Italian diet, of course, includes a lot of pasta, while the Spanish diet features a relatively higher consumption of fish. The Greeks consume more dietary fat than the Italians, and so on.(1)

That said, all Mediterranean diets are centred around a similar set of principles. Firstly, they’re mostly plant-based and include lots of fresh vegetables, legumes (such as lentils and chickpeas), fruit and whole grains. Extra-virgin olive oil is the main source of additional fat and is often used in cooking, sauces and dressings.

Fish and seafood play an important role, too, and red wine is enjoyed in moderation.

On the other hand, the Mediterranean diet includes very little red meat and dairy.

Ancel Keys

The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were noted by an American scientist named Ancel Keys. He has a rather fascinating backstory of his own.

Keys was born in 1904 and lived through both World Wars. He trained as a physiologist, and during World War II the War Department requested his help in developing a calorie-dense, non-perishable meal which could fit inside a paratrooper’s pocket. The rations were to be used in case of emergency.

The story goes that Keys went down to the local grocery store, rummaged around and picked out high-calorie items which would provide plenty of energy without going off, such as biscuits and chocolate.(2)

The idea was refined, a few comfort items such as cigarettes and chewing gum were added to gain the approval of the paratroopers, and: volià! The K-ration, named in Keys’s honour, was born. The little box containing three ‘meal units’ would go on to feed thousands of US soldiers over the course of the war.

Meanwhile, Keys was already working on his next project, widely known as the Minnesota Starvation Experiment.(3) A team of 36 volunteers, who were conscientious objectors and wanted to serve their country in a different way than being on the battlefield, went through a starvation diet.

From this, Keys and his team were able to gain vital information about the body’s physiological response to starvation, and develop a method for recovery. This was invaluable considering the many thousands of people facing hunger in the wake of the conflict.

But it was after the war that the Mediterranean diet would catch Keys’s attention.

The Mediterranean diet and heart disease

As the world emerged from the Second World War, statistical information began to become available once more. Keys turned his eagle eye to the relationship between coronary heart disease and declining food supplies. He found that, in fact, fewer people were dying from heart disease.

He launched the famous Seven Countries Study, which surveyed over 12,000 men in the US, Finland, Yugoslavia, Japan, Greece, the Netherlands and Italy.

Keys observed that comparatively far fewer people were dying of heart disease in Mediterranean nations like Greece and Italy. Meanwhile, the picture was much bleaker in the United States and Finland.

He discovered that the countries with higher rates of heart disease also consumed more saturated fats. As a result, he suggested that saturates might be linked with an increased risk of heart disease.(1)(4)

Meanwhile, he had started to recognise that following a Mediterranean diet seemed to have a protective effect against heart disease, and began to follow it himself.

If his own life is anything to go by, he was correct! He lived to the venerable age of 100 and influenced the thinking of dieticians around the world.(4)

Luckily, since Keys’s seminal work, other scientists have taken up the mantle and found even more benefits to the Mediterranean diet.

Keeping us young and gorgeous

The Mediterranean has long been the home of some of our most glamorous movie stars. From Sophia Loren to Isabella Rossellini, Javier Bardem to Antonio Banderas, the Med could easily be called the realm of beautiful people.

And perhaps they owe their perfect skin, glossy hair and seemingly ageless appearance to their regional diet?

Researchers have observed that a Mediterranean diet has benefits for the skin, thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects. There is also evidence that a diet which is lower in sugar, such as the Mediterranean diet, may help protect against skin ageing.(5)

If you suffer from acne, it’s also worth considering that a Western-style diet, which contains high GI foods such as sugar and white bread, is linked to a higher risk of the skin condition.(5)

What’s more, one ingredient which is vital to the Mediterranean diet has its own special benefits for your skin. You can read all about it in our article: ‘Is olive oil good for your skin?’

Protecting against cancer

Cancer is an awful disease which will affect many of us over our lifetimes. However, while anyone can get cancer, it does seem that what we eat and how we live our lives has an effect on our chances of developing the disease.

Cancer prevalence is associated with a number of lifestyle factors, including our diets.

One study claims that estimates from epidemiological studies show the astonishing impact of switching to a Mediterranean diet.

According to the authors, up to around 25% of colorectal cancer cases, 15% of breast cancer cases and 10% of prostate, pancreas and endometrial cancer cases could be prevented by swapping from a Western diet to a Mediterranean diet.(6)

Another study notes that key components of the Mediterranean diet have their own health effects. For example, the diet features plenty of cereals, fresh fruit and vegetables.

The researchers observed that the incidence of colorectal cancer went down when people ate more fruit and vegetables and more total fibre.(7)

Related reading

• Prune health benefits: 5 reasons to add prunes to your diet
• Plant-based diet: Let food be thy medicine