Mediterranean Way Research Articles

Through the Mediterranean Way of Life to a Healthier Brain

Through the Mediterranean Way of Life to a Healthier Brain

Secular Spaces in Israel and Turkey

Abstract This article offers a comparative analysis of Tel Aviv and Izmir based on their urban identities grounded on a secular modernist ideological outlook and a Mediterranean way of life based on egalitarian and democratic norms. These criteria will be operationalized by analyzing the ideological preferences as well possibilities for alternative lifestyles for the residents of both cities. Due to the policies of right-wing governments in both countries, there has been an increasingly overbearing impact of religion in the daily lives of the people and have been undergoing a redefinition of their national identities at the expense of the secular aspects of their national attributes. While a significant number of citizens in both countries have been leaning towards an ethnoreligious worldview, Tel Aviv in Israel and Izmir in Turkey resist such attempts and remain bastions of secularism with their Mediterranean way of life. This study purports to present the similarities and differences between the two cities within their larger conservative setting.

Through the Mediterranean Way of Life to a Healthier Brain

Through the Mediterranean Way of Life to a Healthier Brain

The Mediterranean way: changing diets to extend lifespans

The Mediterranean way: changing diets to extend lifespans

Recurrent Acute Otitis Media Could Be Related to the Pro-Inflammatory State That Causes an Incorrect Diet

Introduction: Acute Otitis Media (AOM) is the most commonly-occurring bacterial complication in childhood. After making certain corrections to the patients’ dietary habits, which we found to be excessively high in animal-based and industrially-processed foods, we observed a significant reduction in recurrent colds and their bacterial complications. We promote an original way of treating these diseases, since until now the conventional treatment is based on pharmacological and surgical treatment. From our point of view, the mucosa that covers the entire ENT area is in a pro-inflammatory and hyper-reactive state, as a consequence of the alterations produced by an inadequate diet. For us there is no difference in the nutritional treatment of the different mucous membranes that cover the ENT area. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of the Traditional Mediterranean Diet (TMD) on patients diagnosed with Recurring Acute Otitis Media (RAOM). Methods: prospective pre-postest comparison study with 48 girls and 42 boys aged 1–5 years, each of whom had been and included on the 1-year programme “Learning to eat the Mediterranean Way”, designed to encourage the adoption of the TMD. We studied clinical and therapeutic variables and various anthropometric parameters. Results: all the symptomatic indicators studied (number and intensity of episodes of otitis and emergency admissions) showed a positive and statistically significant evolution in RAOM. By the end of the study, none of the patients met the criteria for classification as RAOM, and 60% percent of patients did not present any further episodes of AOM. In line with the above, the use of anti-microbial drugs and symptomatic treatments reduced considerably; the use of antibiotics dropped from 4.30 occasions/patient/year, to 0.66 (p < 0.001), and the used of symptomatic treatments dropped from 7.63 to 2.75 (p < 0.001). The level of family satisfaction was very high. Conclusions: the adoption of the Traditional Mediterranean Diet has been demonstrated to significantly reduce occurrence of acute otitis media and may contribute to the treatment of patients diagnosed with recurrent acute otitis media.

A Digital Environment for Empowering the Main Actors of the Deep Energy Retrofitting Value Chain

The H2020 HAPPEN project has defined a new approach to tackle significant unsolved bottlenecks affecting the energy renovation markets of the residential built stock in the Mediterranean area: the MedZEB approach (Mediterranean way to nearly Zero Energy Building), which backbone is the HAPPEN ICT Platform. The paper describes firstly the MedZEB concept as a holistic, flexible and cost-optimal approach especially tailored for the Med area. It then presents the HAPPEN Platform in terms of general architecture, workflows, resources and tools aimed at fostering the spread of the MedZEB approach by integrating technical, financial, environmental and operational aspects. A critical assessment on the state-of-the-art highlights the novelty of the HAPPEN Platform as a comprehensive and effective framework for empowering the evolution of the Med renovation markets, as means for fostering the progressive uptake of deep energy retrofitting in the Med area.

Societing 4.0: Social and Technological Innovation, the Mediterranean Way

Societing 4.0: Social and Technological Innovation, the Mediterranean Way

Mediterranean Diet and cardiovascular health: an historical perspective.

The first investigation of dietary intake in the Mediterranean region was undertaken at the initiative of the government of Greece in 1948. Plant foods (cereals, pulses, nuts, potatoes, vegetables and fruits) accounted for 61 % of total energy intake (TEI), animal foods (meat, eggs, fish and dairy products) for 7 % of TEI and olive oil was the main oil used. In 1950s, Ancel Keys undertook studies in USA, Italy, Spain, England, Japan, Australia and Canada leading him to hypothesise that a link could exist between diet, plasma cholesterol and CHD. Between 1958 and 1964, Keys and co-workers carried out the Seven Countries Study, which enrolled men aged 40-59 years in one of sixteen cohorts from seven countries (Finland, Greece, Italy, Yugoslavia, Japan, USA and Italy). After 15-, 25- and 50-year follow-up, a strong positive relation was observed between saturated fat intake and CHD mortality, and a negative one with Mediterranean Dietary Index. In 1975, Keys and his wife published a book entitled: 'How to eat well and stay well. The Mediterranean way', which popularised Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet). After 45-year follow-up, longevity without CHD death was 12·9 years higher in Crete than in Finland. Protecting effect of MedDiet towards CHD incidence and risk is now confirmed by Prevencion con Dieta Mediterranea study and by cohorts' studies gathered in several recent meta-analyses. MedDiet is sustainable and recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, which is the most beautiful homage that can be paid to Ancel Keys and all his co-workers.

Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Index Development for Older Adults

ObjectivesThe Mediterranean diet is associated with many health benefits, yet it is typically only the food pattern that is assessed without consideration for lifestyle attributes that accompany a Mediterranean way of life. The Mediterranean diet pyramid includes lifestyle activities at the base of the pyramid such as regular physical activity (PA), adequate rest, conviviality, biodiversity and seasonality, traditional local and eco-friendly products, and culinary activities. The purpose of this study was to design and pilot test a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle index for older adults in the U.S.MethodsThe Harvard Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to determine the alternative Mediterranean Diet Score (aMed). The short version of the Minnesota Leisure Time PA questionnaire and additional Mediterranean diet-related dietary habit and lifestyle questions were piloted in 75 older adults attending senior centers.ResultsParticipants were primarily women (80.6%) and Caucasian (68%) with an average age of 71.89+/−7.60 years. A 27-item index including the aMed food groups, dietary habits, PA, culinary activities, purchasing of local and seasonal foods, and adequate rest resulted in a reliable score (α = 0.75). Individual index factors correlated with the overall Mediterranean diet and lifestyle score.ConclusionsWhile this Mediterranean diet and lifestyle index resulted in good internal consistency; assessment of conviviality, especially for older adults in the time of Covid-19, need be re-evaluated as a lifestyle measure that can impact dietary intake and overall health.Funding SourcesEastern Michigan University Faculty Research Fellowship Award.

The tenth anniversary as a UNESCO world cultural heritage: an unmissable opportunity to get back to the cultural roots of the Mediterranean diet.

In 2010, the Mediterranean diet was awarded the recognition of UNESCO as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity because of its complex interplay between several factors, including skills, knowledge, processing, cooking, and particularly the sharing and consumption of food. Also, the Mediterranean way of eating emphasizes local food, seasonality and biodiversity. Actually, all these aspects are almost completely neglected by the current nutrition research, which rather focuses on amount of food consumed by an individual or a given population but rarely simultaneously considers how foods are matched, whether they are locally-grown or consumed convivially. Basically, nutritional epidemiology usually ends up with classifying populations as highly or poorly adhering to a Mediterranean diet on the basis of the quantity of food consumed with poor or little knowledge on other features of this eating model. As such, this approach is likely to miss important information that could turn out to be as crucial for health as the traditional analysis of food intake. Since a global industrial food system has emerged, traditional diets are facing a global food challenge threating their own survival in the next decades. To transmit the Mediterranean heritage to future generations, it is important to get back to its roots by disentangling the complexity of this diet, which is not merely a healthful model to defeat chronic diseases and improve survival. The Mediterranean diet is a cultural heritage strictly tied to its people and territories. Nutritional epidemiology is now challenged to account for all these aspects in future health research.

Creative industries and productivity in the European regions. Is there a Mediterranean effect?

AbstractThe existence of a Mediterranean way of creativity and its effects on regional performance has been discussed in European development strategies. However, there is little evidence supporting that idea. This paper addresses this issue by using data on creative industries for a sample of 276 European regions and the local linear least squares estimator, able to deal with parameter heterogeneity. The results suggest that creative industries increase labor productivity. Nevertheless, the paper contributes by providing, for the first time, evidence that the average impact of the creative industries for Mediterranean regions is not substantially different from that for the rest of European regions. However, other territorial patterns emerge, showing the heterogeneity of the impacts of creative industries, which can be even negative in some regions. This evidence has implications for regional, economic and cultural policies.

Alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk in women with genetic predisposition due to BRCA1/2 mutations

Rationale: The International Agency for Research on Cancer advocates strict abstinence from alcohol and classified alcoholic beverages as carcinogenic to humans. On the other hand, the typical Mediterranean way of drinking (MEWOD) allows up to one glass of preferably red wine per day (≤ 10 g ethanol) as part of the Mediterranean diet (MedD). The MedD is considered to be a concept for cancer risk reduction. The intervention group of the LIBRE study [1], a lifestyle intervention in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, receives training on the MedD, allowing the MEWOD. At present, the impact of alcohol consumption on breast cancer risk for women with BRCA1/2 mutation is unclear. Therefore, it is important to review the effect of alcohol consumption on genetic breast cancer and the permission for moderate red wine consumption for the LIBRE study as well as for future studies on women with BRCA1/2 mutations.

Diet and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: The Mediterranean Way.

Lifestyle interventions remain the first-line treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), even if the optimal alimentary regimen is still controversial. The interest in antioxidants has increased over time, and literature reports an inverse association between nutrients rich in antioxidants and the risk of mortality due to non-communicable diseases, including NAFLD. Mediterranean diet (MD) is a model characterized by main consumption of plant-based foods and fish and reduced consumption of meat and dairy products. MD represents the gold standard in preventive medicine, probably due to the harmonic combination of many foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This regimen contributes substantially to the reduction of the onset of many chronic diseases as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, cancer, and NAFLD. The present review aims to clarify the intake of antioxidants typical of the MD and evaluate their effect on NAFLD.

Effects of a Phenol-Enriched Purified Extract from Olive Mill Wastewater on Skin Cells

Olive trees (Olea europaea) and their processed products, such as olive oil, play a major role in the Mediterranean way of life. Their positive impact on human health is being intensely investigated. One research topic is the identification of new application areas of olive mill wastewater (OMWW). OMWW is characterized by the high content of polyphenols possessing many positive health effects. Thus, the phenol-enriched OMWW extract offers the potential for the treatment of skin disorders and for cosmetic application. The aim of the present study was to evaluate cell viability and proliferation, the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of a phenol-enriched OMWW extract on an immortal keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT cells). Moreover, the influence on the growth of various microorganisms was investigated; furthermore, the effects on normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) and human melanoma cells (A375) were studied in a commercially available tumor invasion skin model. The phenol-enriched OMWW extract showed excellent antimicrobial activity. Moreover, a noticeable reduction in reactive oxygen species formation as well as Interleukin-8 release in HaCaT cells were observed. Finally, the inhibited growth of A375 melanoma nodules in the melanoma skin model could be shown. Our results indicate that the OMWW extract is a promising ingredient for dermal applications to improve skin health and skin protection as well as having a positive impact on skin ageing.

The Mediterranean Way a model to achieve the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Mediterranean diet, inscribed in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2010, is inspired by the traditional food models of Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Cyprus and Croatia, all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, the Mediterranean area, geographically and territorially, has the characteristics to give value to past food models, which are products of the local territory (legumes, grains, vegetables, fruit, fish). The major aim is to encourage this type of food, which has always been one of the key points for biology studies in the fields of nutrition, food safety and biodiversity protection. The notion of "Mediterranean diet", or "Mediterranean way. How to eat well and stay well” (Keys & Keys, 1975) does not refer only to a nutritional model shared by many peoples of the Mediterranean basin, but embraces wider and deeper concepts that refer to a peculiar lifestyle, to a specific modality of production and consumption of food, to a certain way of conceiving the relationship between people and the environment. The Mediterranean way is a tool for achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

‘Doing death’ the Mediterranean way: end-of-life in a segregated nursing home

ABSTRACTThis paper presents ethnographic data on a migrant-specific nursing home ward in Switzerland. It shows that the structurally pre-defined segregation of residents sharing a common characteristic affects care practices along three dimensions: performances of sameness/otherness, informalisation of relationships and language/understanding. Yet, ‘death work’ showed little difference to non-segregated wards. However, relatives’ practices in dying trajectories were less congruent with nursing home ‘doing death’, and collisions may evolve. The need for negotiations associated with running a segregated ward seems to elicit enhanced institutional reflexivity with potential to increase the ability of institutions to provide diversity-sensitive services to all residents.

The Hungarian Model: Hungarian Crisis Management in View of the Mediterranean Way

This paper examines the crisis management measures used by Mediterranean euro area countries and Hungary. Such a comparison is justified, because in certain periods of the crisis these countries faced similar challenges necessitating rapid economic policy intervention as previous practices proved to be unsustainable. However, the tools used – and thus also the results – were different. After 2010, Hungary sought to achieve economic balance by improving employment and growth, mainly driven by a tax reform and structural reforms of the budget and, from 2013, after the turnaround in monetary policy, also supported by targeted measures of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (the Central Bank of Hungary). Overall, the harmonisation between the two main branches of economic policy gave rise to an innovative, growth-friendly economic policy, which since 2013 has created a balance between macro-financial equilibrium and growth not seen for a long time. By contrast, the Mediterranean countries using the euro basically opted for traditional crisis management: they sacrificed growth for balance, yet even the latter was achieved much later than in Hungary. In their case, recovery was also hampered by monetary policy constraints due to euro area membership. The targeted Hungarian steps may provide a good example to other countries facing similar challenges.

Does the Mediterranean way of life affect death rates from cardiovascular diseases in Croatia?

Does the Mediterranean way of life affect death rates from cardiovascular diseases in Croatia?

How Well Can We Control Dyslipidemias Through Lifestyle Modifications?

The role for lifestyle modifications to correct dyslipidemia(s) is reviewed. Dietary composition is crucial. Replacing saturated fat with MUFA or n-6 PUFA lowers plasma low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol and ameliorates the LDL/HDL ratio. Replacing saturated fat with carbohydrates has diverging effects due to the heterogeneity of carbohydrate foods. Diets rich in refined carbohydrates increase fasting and postprandial triglycerides, whereas the consumption of fiber-rich, low GI foods lowers LDL cholesterol with no detrimental effects on triglycerides. The role of polyphenols is debated: available evidence suggests a lowering effect of polyphenol-rich foods on postprandial triglycerides. As for functional foods, health claims on a cholesterol lowering effect of psyllium, beta-glucans and phytosterols are accepted by regulatory agencies. The importance of alcohol intake, weight reduction, and physical activity is discussed. In conclusion, there is evidence that lifestyle affects plasma lipid. A multifactorial approach including multiple changes with additive effects is the best option. This may also ensure feasibility and durability. The traditional Mediterranean way of life can represent a useful model.

Eating the Mediterranean Style: A Tasty Way for Stroke Prevention

Abstract Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, with high individual, social and economic costs. Diet has been identified as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and stroke in several large epidemiological studies. The evaluation of foods groups and dietary patterns provides a more realistic representation of actual dietary intake, and gives clues to developing guidelines aimed at general population. We review the role of Mediterranean diet, fruit and vegetables, and olive oil consumption, on the risk of stroke and other vascular outcomes. Findings from major studies indicate that, together with a healthy lifestyle, the traditional Mediterranean way of eating, including social and cultural components, and inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, may be considered a cost-effective intervention to reduce the human, social and economic burden of stroke and cardiovascular disease.