The Mediterranean diet is one of the most researched diets for cardiovascular health.

Fish, olive oil

monounsaturated fats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes/nuts, and moderate alcohol
consumption are all part of this diet. Cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, depression, colorectal
cancer, diabetes, obesity, asthma, erectile dysfunction, and cognitive decline have all been
demonstrated to be reduced or even prevented by following a Mediterranean diet. In both
observational and randomized controlled trial data, this diet has been shown to improve surrogates
of cardiovascular disease, such as waist-to-hip ratio, lipids, and inflammation markers, as well as
primary cardiovascular disease outcomes, such as death and events (Widmer et al., 2015).

A Mediterranean diet rich in minimally processed plant foods has been linked to a lower risk of
acquiring several chronic diseases and a longer lifespan. A positive benefit on the primary and
secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and breast cancer
has been proven by data from multiple randomized clinic trials. The exact mechanism through which
a higher level of adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet has beneficial effects is unknown
(Widmer et al., 2015).

The Mediterranean dietary pattern causes the following five adaptations:

 lipid-lowering effect
 protection against oxidative stress, inflammation, and platelet aggregation
 modification of hormones and growth factors involved in cancer pathogenesis
 inhibition of nutrient sensing pathways by specific amino acid restriction
 gut microbiota-mediated production of metabolites influencing metabolic health.

(Widmer et al., 2015)

When compared to low-fat diets, the Mediterranean diet appears to have positive benefits on
metabolic syndrome and diabetes, especially when enhanced with nuts or olive oil (Widmer et al.,
2015).

In primary prevention, the Mediterranean diet lowered the risk of metabolic syndrome and
protected against risk variables like waist circumference, lipids, glucose, and blood pressure. Another
meta-analysis of 2650 participants found that the Mediterranean diet reduced cardiovascular
disease risk factors and inflammatory markers more effectively than other diets (Widmer et al.,
2015).

It has also been proven that the Mediterranean Diet also causes the following physiological changes
in the body:

 Reduced blood pressure

 Improved vascular function
 Reduced ROS
 Enhanced NO utilization
 Improved vascular function
 Improved reactive hyperemia indices
 Improved platelet function
 Enhanced NO availability
 Weight reduction
 Reduces Lipid profiles
 Improves exercise capacity
 Reduced oxidative stress
  Reduces LDL-oxidation
 Reduced LDL-C
 Increases HDl-C

(Widmer et al., 2015)

In fact, in terms of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity, mortality, and events, the
Mediterranean diet is comparable to other therapies such as aspirin, statins, physical exercise, and
even antihypertensives such as ace-inhibitors or beta-blockers (Tosti, Bertozzi and Fontana, 2018).

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7190876/
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4339461/#:~:text=The%20Mediterranean
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%2C%20cohort%20studies%2C%20and%20randomized%20control%20trials%20%28RCTs
%29.