Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is an eating pattern modelled on the traditional food habits of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. As described in the PREDIMED trial protocol, it emphasises olive oil as the main culinary fat, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, fish and whole grains, with moderate wine consumption for those who already drink, and limits red meat, processed meat, commercial baked goods and sugary drinks.
What published research reports
The largest randomised trial of this pattern is PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea), a Spanish multicentre trial in 7,447 adults at high cardiovascular risk. Its 2018 republication in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that participants assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or with mixed nuts had a lower incidence of major cardiovascular events (stroke, heart attack, or cardiovascular death) than those assigned to a reduced-fat control diet, with a hazard ratio of about 0.70 for both intervention arms. The 2018 version corrected irregularities in the original 2013 randomisation and reported that the findings held after re-analysis.
The trial studied older adults (55–80) at high cardiovascular risk, so its authors note the results apply most directly to that population. The intervention was not calorie-restricted and was not designed as a weight-loss study.
References
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