Mediterranean Diet Essay

Observational studies have investigated the association between diet and mortality and morbidity. The Mediterranean diet, was established by Ancel Keys in the late 1950s. The findings from the seven countries study shown that the incidence of cardiovascular disease in populations that consume such diets are lower than in populations that consume a more western diet that is rich in red meat, dairy products, processed and artificially sweetened foods, and salt, with minimal intake of fruit s, vegetables, fish, legumes, and whole grains (Menotti et al, 2012). Physical activity was included in the Mediterranean Diet pyramid. In the Diet study findings resulted that those who did 30 minutes of exercise such as gardening, walking each day were
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major concern in the UK. It can cause impact on quality of life. British Heart Foundation (2012) estimates that a number of people with higher than 20% risk of cardiovascular disease could rise from 3.5 million in 2010 to 4.2 million.’ CVD covers a number of diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart failure. The individual and environmental factors contributes to CVD risk are complex. Age (significant increase of prevalence after the age of 40 years), individual behaviours (diet, alcohol, smoking, physical inactivity), environmental and socio-economic factors and genetic characteristics all have an impact. An estimated 86% of the risk of disease is contributed to modifiable lifestyle factors. This is why tackling premature CVD death is important and the Mediterranean diet could be an excellent tool for reducing the incidence of CVD. (American Heart Association,
Anthropometric measurements were taken. The result of the study shown that a Mediterranean diet was associated with mortality from all-causes in several small observational cohort studies of elderly people. A similar EPIC study in Greek showed that a higher adherence to the diet is associated with a reduction in total mortality and in coronary mortality (Trichopoulou, 2003). Similar findings have been reported from the follow-up of the HALE study in healthy persons aged 70 to 90 years (Knoops, 2004) and Health study (Mitrou, 2007). Two case-control studies also found an inverse association between adherence to the diet and incidence of non-fatal coronary events (Martinez-Gonzalez, 2002). A secondary prevention trial found a reduction in death when coronary patients were assigned to an experimental diet (De Lorgeril, 1999) and with dairies replaced by a special margarine rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It was suggested that the Mediterranean diet could play a role in prevention of cardiovascular diseases with regular physical activity. (Sofi, 2008) reported that a study examined the benefits of adherence to a Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular mortality.
Another study examined the short-term effect of the Med Diet on cardiovascular risk factors. The study revealed a positive correlation between Med Diet adherence and improved CVD risk