Today is World Health Day and the Mediterranean Diet Foundation recalls the importance of maintaining a healthy and balanced diet such as the Mediterranean Diet, based on seasonal and proximity products. Among them, the use of extra virgin olive oil as the main source of fat stands out.
Under the slogan "Building a fairer and healthier world", the World Health Organization (WHO) this year emphasizes the inequalities that exist and that condemn the poorest populations to disease. The Mediterranean Diet Foundation joins the initiative of this body and encourages countries and governments to fight to end these inequalities so that we can all come out of this health crisis together with the same opportunities.
On the occasion of this day, the Foundation considers it important to inform, sensitize and educate the population in the care of healthy habits from childhood. Scientific evidence has shown the protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet on health, since the consumption of Mediterranean foods with a greater anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect achieves greater protection against cardiovascular diseases and other chronic pathologies in which inflammation plays a role. relevant such as diabetes, cancer, depression, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease. It should be remembered that the traditional Mediterranean Diet is characterized by the use of extra virgin olive oil both for cooking and for dressing dishes.
Both in systematic reviews of the dietary factors associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease, and in different meta-analyzes, the Mediterranean Diet as a whole is usually the dietary factor with the greatest protective effect on most chronic diseases, including disease cardiovascular and cancer. An increase in only two points has been observed in the scales of adherence to the traditional Mediterranean Diet that is associated with a reduction of 10% in the incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Currently, two Spanish studies are being carried out, one of primary prevention (PREDIMED-Plus) and the other of secondary prevention (CORDIOPREV), which have included 6,874 and 1,002 participants, respectively, and although the final results are pending, the data preliminary findings confirm the powerful protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet (and the Mediterranean lifestyle in the case of PREDIMED-Plus) in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
“Extra virgin olive oil is possibly the product that best represents the values of the Mediterranean Diet. In addition, it unites us, being found in all corners of our country, with different varieties and different production methods; and it even takes us back to childhood. It is a fundamental product for the economy, the territory and the rural environment. It is the pure essence of Spain and our place of origin. These days there are many people in our towns working to keep the flame of a differentiating food alive,” says Francisco Martínez Arroyo, president of the Mediterranean Diet Foundation.
Source: Mercacei