QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Simopoulos, A. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Simopoulos, A. P.

---

Supplement: AICR's 11th Annual Research Conference on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer

The Mediterranean Diets: What Is So Special about the Diet of Greece? The Scientific Evidence¹

The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, Washington, DC

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cgnh{at}bellatlantic.net

The term "Mediterranean diet," implying that all Mediterranean people have the same diet, is a misnomer. The countries around the Mediterranean basin have different diets, religions and cultures. Their diets differ in the amount of total fat, olive oil, type of meat and wine intake; milk vs. cheese; fruits and vegetables; and the rates of coronary heart disease and cancer, with the lower death rates and longer life expectancy occurring in Greece. Extensive studies on the traditional diet of Greece (the diet before 1960) indicate that the dietary pattern of Greeks consists of a high intake of fruits, vegetables (particularly wild plants), nuts and cereals mostly in the form of sourdough bread rather than pasta; more olive oil and olives; less milk but more cheese; more fish; less meat; and moderate amounts of wine, more so than other Mediterranean countries. Analyses of the dietary pattern of the diet of Crete shows a number of protective substances, such as selenium, glutathione, a balanced ratio of (n-6):(n-3) essential fatty acids (EFA), high amounts of fiber, antioxidants (especially resveratrol from wine and polyphenols from olive oil), vitamins E and C, some of which have been shown to be associated with lower risk of cancer, including cancer of the breast. These findings should serve as a strong incentive for the initiation of intervention trials that will test the effect of specific dietary patterns in the prevention and management of patients with cancer.

KEY WORDS: • diet of Crete • (n-3) fatty acids • wild plants • antioxidants • cancer • (n-6) fatty acids

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. E Rumawas, J. B Meigs, J. T Dwyer, N. M McKeown, and P. F Jacques Mediterranean-style dietary pattern, reduced risk of metabolic syndrome traits, and incidence in the Framingham Offspring Cohort Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2009; 90(6): 1608 - 1614. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Kiefer, J. Pitluk, and K. Klunk An Overview of CAM: Components and Clinical Uses Nutr Clin Pract, October 1, 2009; 24(5): 549 - 559. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Zhang, J. Zhang, Z. Ungvari, and C. Zhang Resveratrol Improves Endothelial Function: Role of TNF{alpha} and Vascular Oxidative Stress Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, August 1, 2009; 29(8): 1164 - 1171. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Wertz Essential fatty acids and dietary stress Toxicology and Industrial Health, May 1, 2009; 25(4-5): 279 - 283. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. D. Kontogianni, N. Vidra, A.-E. Farmaki, S. Koinaki, K. Belogianni, S. Sofrona, F. Magkanari, and M. Yannakoulia Adherence Rates to the Mediterranean Diet Are Low in a Representative Sample of Greek Children and Adolescents J. Nutr., October 1, 2008; 138(10): 1951 - 1956. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Munshi, L. H. Ni, and M. S. Tiwana Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Present Day Oncology Care: Promises and Pitfalls Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol., August 5, 2008; (2008) hyn066v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F.N. Salta, A. Mylona, A. Chiou, G. Boskou, and N.K. Andrikopoulos Oxidative Stability of Edible Vegetable Oils Enriched in Polyphenols with Olive Leaf Extract Food Science and Technology International, December 1, 2007; 13(6): 413 - 421. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. E. Juan, U. Wenzel, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez, H. Daniel, and J. M. Planas Olive Fruit Extracts Inhibit Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis in HT-29 Human Colon Cancer Cells J. Nutr., October 1, 2006; 136(10): 2553 - 2557. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Souzeau, S. Belanger, S. Picard, and C. F. Deschepper Dietary isoflavones during pregnancy and lactation provide cardioprotection to offspring rats in adulthood Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, August 1, 2005; 289(2): H715 - H721. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. C Larsson, M. Kumlin, M. Ingelman-Sundberg, and A. Wolk Dietary long-chain n-3 fatty acids for the prevention of cancer: a review of potential mechanisms Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2004; 79(6): 935 - 945. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. B. Izevbigie, J. L. Bryant, and A. Walker A Novel Natural Inhibitor of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases and Human Breast Cancer Cell Growth Experimental Biology and Medicine, February 1, 2004; 229(2): 163 - 169. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. A. Norman, R. R. Butrum, E. Feldman, D. Heber, D. Nixon, M. F. Picciano, R. Rivlin, A. Simopoulos, M. J. Wargovich, E. K. Weisburger, et al. The Role of Dietary Supplements during Cancer Therapy J. Nutr., November 1, 2003; 133(11): 3794S - 3799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. H. Weisburger Lycopene and Tomato Products in Health Promotion Experimental Biology and Medicine, November 1, 2002; 227(10): 924 - 927. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]