More on Mediterranean Diets

This book is an update of the previous volume on Mediterranean diets published in 2000, which provided extensive reviews of the various diets existing in the Mediterranean region. Since then, a number of studies have been published on the relationship between a Mediterranean-type of diet and chronic diseases. However, because the 'diet score' used in those studies does not provide any information on the nutritional composition or quality of the diet, this publication takes an entirely different approach: Particular attention is given to the nutritional factors and their mechanisms in cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome and obesity, and the results of decreasing the omega-6:omega-3 ratio and its anti-inflammatory effects on several biomarkers are evaluated. Moreover, the effects of olive oil, relative to its antioxidant properties, and the anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic aspects of melatonin from plants and fruits common in the Mediterranean region are discussed. Illustrating that the combination of a balanced ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, along with wine and olive oil, are essential components of a healthy diet, this publication will be of interest to physicians, nutritionists, dietitians, food scientists and technologists, anthropologists, scientists in academia, agriculturalists, and policy makers.