C/N/104. Dissertation. Effect of Mediterranean diet on human health and disease prevention Ï a systematic review

Epidemiological studies have for time immemorial associated the Mediterranean diet with longer and better life. However, most of these studies have been observational. In the recent past there has been a pressing need for evidence based medicine is all related sectors and public health nutrition has been no exception. This has led to a need for clinical trials and systematic reviews in the field so that sound recommendations could be developed. The purpose of this particular systematic review was to analyse and review the excremental research done on the effect Mediterranean diet on human health and its role in disease prevention. The review was made on the basis of 52 articles from different studies combined with a sound groundwork overview of Mediterranean diet. The articles found could be categorised into five groups on the basis of the outcomes measured vis-à-vis lipoproteins, endothelial resistance, diabetes and anti-oxidative capacity, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, cancer and obesity. Most studies suggested that the Mediterranean diet has a favourable influence on all the factors mentioned above. However, the need for more reviews and further clinical trials in all the areas seems pressing especially with the use of food scores or patterns to ensure adherence to Mediterranean diet among the participants and to form the basis for this the methodology of the ongoing PREDIMED study is explained.