Abstract
The Mediterranean diet is considered as the foremost dietary regimen and its adoption is associated with the prevention of degenerative diseases and an extended longevity. The preeminent features of the Mediterranean diet have been agreed upon and the consumption of olive oil stands out as the most peculiar one. Indeed, the use of olive oil as the nearly exclusive dietary fat is what mostly characterizes the Mediterranean area. Plenty of epidemiological studies have correlated that the consumption of olive oil was associated with better overall health. Indeed, extra virgin olive oil contains (poly)phenolic compounds that are being actively investigated for their purported biological and pharma-nutritional properties. On 18 and 19 May 2018, several experts convened in Jaen (Spain) to discuss the most recent research on the benefits of olive oil and its components. We reported a summary of that meeting (reviewing several topics related to olive oil, not limited to health) and concluded that substantial evidence is accruing to support the widespread opinion that extra virgin olive oil should, indeed, be the fat of choice when it comes to human health and sustainable agronomy.
Highlights
The Mediterranean dietary pattern is as an excellent model of healthy eating
In the PREDIMED trial, participants at high cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to a nutritional intervention fostering the adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet” (MedDiet) supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts or to a control group
The PREDIMED trial recently reported that the random allocation of diabetics to a MedDiet with extra virgin olive oil was associated with a significant reduction in the need of starting glucose-lowering medication (Relative risk: 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.62 to 0.98) [91]
Summary
The Mediterranean dietary pattern is as an excellent model of healthy eating. The term “Mediterranean diet” (MedDiet) was coined by Ancel Keys in the early 1960s and is based on the traditional culinary practices of rural areas of Southern Italy (where he lived), Crete, other parts of Greece, and other countries of the Mediterranean basin in the 1950s–1960s [1]. Among the different cohorts that have assessed associations between adherence to the MedDiet and NCD, the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) project is a large and still ongoing prospective cohort of relatively young adults at baseline that was designed to assess the effects of the MedDiet in a Mediterranean setting [8] Considering both a high adherence to the MedDiet and a physically active lifestyle, the SUN is reporting a very strong reduction in all-cause mortality [9]. The PREDIMED trial, an intervention with a MedDiet in primary cardiovascular prevention with either extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts, showed a 30% relative risk reduction in the occurrence of a first clinical cardiovascular event compared to a control group, where participants were recommended to follow a low-fat diet [11,12].
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