American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 61, 1321S-1323S, Copyright © 1995 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Mediterranean diet and public health: personal reflections

A Keys
Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55454-1015, USA.

My concern about diet as a public health problem began in the early 1950s in Naples, where we observed very low incidences of coronary heart disease associated with what we later came to call the "good Mediterranean diet." The heart of this diet is mainly vegetarian, and differs from American and northern European diets in that it is much lower in meat and dairy products and uses fruit for dessert. These observations led to our subsequent research in the Seven Countries Study, in which we demonstrated that saturated fat is the major dietary villain. Today, the healthy Mediterranean diet is changing and coronary heart disease is no longer confined to medical textbooks. Our challenge is to persuade children to tell their parents to eat as Mediterraneans do.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Acin, M. A. Navarro, J. M. Arbones-Mainar, N. Guillen, A. J. Sarria, R. Carnicer, J. C. Surra, I. Orman, J. C. Segovia, R. d. l. Torre, et al. Hydroxytyrosol Administration Enhances Atherosclerotic Lesion Development in Apo E Deficient Mice J. Biochem., September 1, 2006; 140(3): 383 - 391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Esposito, F. Nappo, F. Giugliano, G. Giugliano, R. Marfella, and D. Giugliano Effect of dietary antioxidants on postprandial endothelial dysfunction induced by a high-fat meal in healthy subjects Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, January 1, 2003; 77(1): 139 - 143. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Giugliano, F. Nappo, L. Coppola, L. Miguel Blanco-Colio, C. Bustos, M. Ortego, M. Angel Hernandez-Presa, P. Cancelas, J. Gomez-Gerique, J. Egido, et al. Pizza and Vegetables Don't Stick to the Endothelium Response Circulation, August 14, 2001; 104 (7): e34 - e35. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Liu Mediterranean Diets Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2001; 73(4): 847 - 847. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Miro Casas, M. Farre Albadalejo, M. I. Covas Planells, M. Fito Colomer, R. M. Lamuela Raventos, and R. de la Torre Fornell Tyrosol Bioavailability in Humans after Ingestion of Virgin Olive Oil Clin. Chem., February 1, 2001; 47(2): 341 - 343. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. C. Edgecombe, G. L. Stretch, and P. J. Hayball Oleuropein, an Antioxidant Polyphenol from Olive Oil, Is Poorly Absorbed from Isolated Perfused Rat Intestine J. Nutr., December 1, 2000; 130(12): 2996 - 3002. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Visioli, C. Galli, E. Plasmati, S. Viappiani, A. Hernandez, C. Colombo, and A. Sala Olive Phenol Hydroxytyrosol Prevents Passive Smoking-Induced Oxidative Stress Circulation, October 31, 2000; 102(18): 2169 - 2171. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. Ramirez-Tortosa, G. Urbano, M. López-Jurado, T. Nestares, M. C. Gomez, A. Mir, E. Ros, J. Mataix, and A. Gil Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Increases the Resistance of LDL to Oxidation More than Refined Olive Oil in Free-Living Men with Peripheral Vascular Disease J. Nutr., December 1, 1999; 129(12): 2177 - 2183. [Abstract] [Full Text]