heart attack. They were recruited from several hospi-
tals in the area of Lyon, a city in east-central France.
Half the subjects were given an hour-long educational
introduction to a modified version of the Cretan diet
(canola oil was substituted for olive oil) and advised to
follow this Mediterranean-style diet. The other half
(the control group) were given a prudent diet recom-
mended by the American Heart Association (AHA).
At the end of 4 years, overall death rates were 56%
lower in the group that followed the modified Cretan
diet.Ongoing research
Mediterranean diets continue to be fruitful sub-
jects for medical investigators, partly because the
countries where they originated are changing so rap-
idly, and partly because discussion continues as to
which of the components of these diets is the most
important in disease prevention. Although olive oil
has been the focus of many studies, recent research
done in Greece seems to indicate that the combination
of the various foods and food groups in Mediterra-
nean diets is what makes them so healthful, rather
than any one specific component. This position is
sometimes called the whole-diet approach.
In addition, other researchers are studying lifestyle
factors other than food that may well contribute to the
beneficial effects of Mediterranean cooking. These
include a generally more relaxed attitude toward life;
higher levels of physical activity (made possible in part
by the warm sunny climate of the region); and the
fasting practices of Greek Orthodox Christians, which
lower fat intake and restrict the believer to a vegetarian
diet for about 110 days out of every year.Resources
BOOKS
Keys, Ancel B., with Christ Aravanis.Seven Countries: A
Multivariate Analysis of Death and Coronary Heart
Disease. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
1980.
Keys, Ancel B., and Margaret Keys.How to Eat Well and
Stay Well the Mediterranean Way. Garden City, NY:
Doubleday, 1975.
Keys, Margaret, and Ancel B. Keys.The Benevolent Bean.
New York: Noonday Press, 1972.
Parker, Steven Paul, MD.The Advanced Mediterranean
Diet: Lose Weight, Feel Better, Live Longer. Mesa, AZ:
Vanguard Press, 2007.
Simopoulos, Artemis P., and Francesco Visioli, eds.Medi-
terranean Diets. New York: Karger, 2000.
Simopoulos, Artemis P., and Francesco Visioli.More on
Mediterranean Diets. New York: Karger, 2007.COOKBOOKS
Gutterson, Connie.The Sonoma Diet Cookbook. Des
Moines, IA: Meredith Books, 2006.
Jenkins, Nancy Harmon.The Mediterranean Diet Cook-
book: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health. New
York: Bantam Books, 1994.
Seaver, Jeannette.My New Mediterranean Cookbook: Eat
Better, Live Longer by Following the Mediterranean
Diet. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2004.
PERIODICALS
Carollo, C., R. L. Presti, and G. Caimi. ‘‘Wine, Diet, and
Arterial Hypertension.’’Angiology58 (February-
March 2007): 92–96.
Chatzi, L., G. Apostolaki, I. Bibakis, et al. ‘‘Protective Effect
of Fruits, Vegetables, and the Mediterranean Diet on
Asthma and Allergies among Children in Crete.’’
Thorax, April 5, 2007.
Dalziel, K., L. Segal, and M. de Lorgeril. ‘‘A Mediterranean
Diet Is Cost-Effective in Patients with Previous Myo-
cardial Infarction.’’Journal of Nutrition136 (July 2006):
1879–1885.
Ferracane, R., A. Tafuri, A. Logieco, et al. ‘‘Simultaneous
Determination of Aflatoxin B 1 and Ochratoxin A and
Their Natural Occurrence in Mediterranean Virgin
Olive Oil.’’Food Additives and Contaminants24 (Feb-
ruary 2007): 173–180.
Hoffman, William. ‘‘Meet Monsieur Cholesterol.’’Univer-
sity of Minnesota Update, Winter 1979. Available online
at http://mbbnet.umn.edu/hoff/hoff_ak.html (accessed
April 8, 2007). Interesting and readable biographical
profile of Ancel Keys and his interest in Mediterranean
diets.
Keys, Ancel, PhD, Henry L. Taylor, PhD, Henry Blackburn,
MD, et al. ‘‘Coronary Heart Disease among Minnesota
Business and Professional Men Followed Fifteen
Years.’’Circulation28 (September 1963): 381–395.
de Lorgeril, M., and P. Salen. ‘‘The Mediterranean Diet in
Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease.’’
Clinical and Investigative Medicine29 (June 2006): 154–- /bibcit.composed>
de Lorgeril, M., P. Salen, J. L. Martin, et al. ‘‘Mediterranean
Diet, Traditional Risk Factors, and the Rate of Cardi-
ovascular Complications after Myocardial Infarction:
Final Report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study.’’Circula-
tion99 (February 16, 1999): 779–785.
Malik, V. S., and F. B. Hu. ‘‘Popular Weight-Loss Diets:
From Evidence to Practice.’’Nature Clinical Practice;
Cardiovascular Medicine4 (January 2007): 34–41.
Meydani, M. ‘‘A Mediterranean-Style Diet and Metabolic
Syndrome.’’Nutrition Reviews63 (September 2005):
312–314.
Panagiotakis, D.B., C. Pitsavos, F. Arvaniti, and C. Stefa-
nidis. ‘‘Adherence to the Mediterranean Food Pattern
Predicts the Prevalence of Hypertension, Hypercholes-
terolemia, Diabetes and Obesity among Healthy
Adults; the Accuracy of the MedDiet Score.’’Preventive
Medicine, December 30, 2006.
Mediterranean diet