Mediterranean diet to promote health at midlife

Abstract

Midlife defines a vital period in which the subclinical changes that occur play a pathophysiological role in the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In the case of women, the decrease in estrogen throughout the years of the menopausal transition affects a series of targets in the body, including metabolism. Along with the corrective action of hormones, lifestyle, and particularly diet, play a crucial role. The Mediterranean diet (Meddiet) occupies a privileged position for enjoying an acceptable evidence support due to the interest received from researchers for years. Moreover, Meddiet is respectful with the environment. The current quality of evidence includes data from observational studies and randomized controlled trials. The impact of Meddiet on the cardiovascular system has received the most attention, not only at the level of intermediate indicators, such as lipids, blood pressure and others, but also in terms of final cardiovascular events. The benefits of MedDiet further extend to the prevention or progression of other NCDs. The effect on cancer incidence and mortality has received much research effort, although the picture varies by cancer type. Of particular interest, there is evidence of an inverse association between adherence to the MedDiet and the incidence of steroid receptor-negative breast cancer. The impact on the central nervous system in terms of cognition and mood has received attention. The benefits on cognition, as shown by well-established tools such as the Mini-Mental State Examination, as well as on depression, have been reported in several studies, but their observational nature limits the quality of their evidence. It has been shown that all-cause and specific mortality is reduced, especially cardiovascular, but unanimity is not universal and, again, the evidence is limited due to the observational nature of the available studies. Despite the uncertainties, the data confer a positive message from the MedDiet on a number of outcomes.