The Mediterranean Way of Eating: Evidence for Chronic Disease Prevention and Weight Management PDF

Foreword

Good nutrition is based on a pattern of eating nutritious foods in appropriate amounts—not too much or too little. This book on Mediterranean diet patterns leads the way toward the establishment of healthy eating habits and the promotion of sound lifestyle behaviors that minimize the chronic diseases so common in the Western world.

For example, heart disease and stroke combined are now the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, claiming more than 17 million lives per year. Those who survive an event frequently suffer with crippling disabilities and symptoms. Alarming increases in obesity and diabetes are an important factor contributing to this growing global burden of cardiovascular disease. Experts agree that improving diets is an effective first step toward preventing heart disease and stroke as well as preventing obesity, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. In a landmark decision, the United Nations, working through the World Health Organization, has set a goal to reduce by 25% the premature mortality caused by these disorders by the year 2025. To achieve this goal heightened interest worldwide now focuses on how a healthy diet can contribute to improved quality of life, reduction of disease, and longevity.

For years epidemiologists and others have been interested in a Mediterranean diet and how its foods, and their nutrients, might relate to the observed longevity and healthy outcomes of certain populations in Mediterranean countries. Results from a series of important trials now support the benefits of a Mediterranean pattern of eating to prevent and reduce the prevalence of heart attacks and stroke. The Lyon (France) Heart Study showed that individuals of a high-risk population who had survived a cardiovascular event did better when they adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet. Recently the PREDIMED trial (Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet) confirmed that a Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra–virgin olive oil or certain nuts, effectively reduced the occurrence of a first cardiovascular event. A systematic review of dietary factors and coronary heart disease has ranked a Mediterranean way of eating as most likely to provide protection against coronary heart disease because of satisfaction and adherence to the diet. In the face of abundant evidence supporting the benefits of adhering to a Mediterranean diet it remains essential to understand the concepts and eating patterns required for its implementation.

This book provides the tools and core elements needed to understand and adopt a healthy way of eating that can reduce the risk of suffering the devastating consequences of a heart attack or stroke. Knowledge is fundamental to any successful change in lifestyle if it is put into practice. The authors have written a thoughtful, comprehensive text which will be an asset to anyone with a serious interest in developing a healthy lifestyle and changing their eating habits. Years of experience and research combined with data from the most recent trials have been distilled into a readable, understandable primer, which provides the reader with valuable information. I highly recommend this thoughtful review of a Mediterranean diet and urge all to make a healthy diet and lifestyle their fundamental personal choice and lifelong commitment.