Abstract
The Mediterranean diet (MD) concept as currently known describes the dietary patterns that were followed in specific regions of the area in the 1950s and 1960s. The broad recognition of its positive effects on the longevity of Mediterranean populations also led to the adoption of this diet in other regions of the world, and scientific interest focused on revealing its health effects. MD is not only linked with eating specific nutritional food products but also with social, religious, environmental, and cultural aspects, thus representing a healthy lifestyle in general. However, modern lifestyles adhere to less healthy diets, alienating people from their heritage. Therefore, considering the increasing evidence of the beneficial health effects of adherence to the MD and the ongoing transitions in consumers’ behavior, the present review focuses on updating the scientific knowledge regarding this diet and its relevance to agrobiodiversity. In addition, it also considers a sustainable approach for new marketing opportunities and consumer trends of the MD.
Highlights
Our diet and the proper selection of dietary sources of nutrients are pivotal for our body condition.According to numerous medical studies, these choices can highly influence health conditions [1,2,3,4].The significance of food consumption for human health was first recognized by Hippocrates who quoted “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
Considering the important health effects of the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the ongoing transitions in consumers’ behavior, the present review focuses on updating the knowledge regarding the health effects related to the adherence to this particular diet, its relevance to agrobiodiversity and the sustainable approach of a healthy diet, and, the new marketing opportunities that have emerged
Numerous reports highlighted the importance of adopting healthy dietary habits for benefiting the condition and well-being of the human body, focusing on various chronic diseases that impact the condition and well-being of the human body, focusing on various chronic diseases that impact developed countries, e.g., cancer, cardiovascular diseases, immunomodulatory diseases, diabetes, developed countries, e.g., cancer, cardiovascular diseases, immunomodulatory diseases, diabetes, neurogenerative diseases, myocardial infarctions, and cognitive disorders [135]
Summary
Our diet and the proper selection of dietary sources of nutrients are pivotal for our body condition. The local populations of the broader Mediterranean region have continuously interacted with each other throughout a period of centuries, resulting in several common eating habits and food ingredients among the countries around the Mediterranean Sea [19,20] This continuous evolution and adaptation of dietary patterns to new conditions requires a constant reconsideration of the definition of the MD, when considering the recent advances in analytical techniques that allow the effects and the mechanisms responsible for the reported and confirmed health effects to be revealed. In addition to the consumption of olive oil, another key element of the traditional MD common to many populations around the Mediterranean basin is the daily consumption of a wide variety of seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables, including underutilized local genetic resources and wild edible plants, which together constitute a rich source of functional food [34,35]. The compiled information was collected from various databases, such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, after searching for specific terms and keywords, e.g., Mediterranean diet and health effects, and agrobiodivesity
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