The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet: An Evidence-Based Approach, Second Edition, provides authoritative material on the many different facets of the complex interrelationships between diet, nutrition, health and well-being. The book begins with historical, cultural and scientific foundations, then goes on to provide supportive evidence to embrace a holistic approach in understanding the Mediterranean diet from the cell to the well-being of geographical populations. Broken into five distinct sections, The Mediterranean Diet: An Evidence-Based Approach, Second Edition, addresses concepts and overviews, components of the diet, the medical, health, and nutritional aspects of the diet, molecular aspects of the diet, and novel nutraceuticals and plants used in the Mediterranean region.Section 1 covers the origins of the Mediterranean diet, nutritional adequacy, agricultural practices, food culture, mortality, quality of life, children and adolescents, behaviour, cardiovascular diseases, diet quality, nutritional knowledge, and the Prevention with Mediterranean diet study. Section 2 includes chapters on nuts, minerals, olive oil, hydroxytyrosol, water, milk, wine, beer, herbs, date palm fruit, dried fruit, raisins, and culinary techniques. Section 3 addresses antioxidant nutritional status, ketogenics, adiposity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk, the overweight, cancer prevention, breast cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma, arthritis, asthma, allergies, pregnancy, acne, heavy metals, reflux disease, cognition, mental wellbeing, sleep, female and male fertility, atherosclerosis, depression, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, gut microbiota, adherence, age-related macular degeneration, weight and waist circumference, fraility and metabolomics. Section 4 provides coverage of nutrigenetics, epigenetics, the link between epigenetics and pregnancy, gene polymorphisms bone health, insulin signalling inflammatory gene expression, and molecular aspects of oleocanthal. Finally, material on aromatic plants, phenolics, photoprotection, Crataegus spp., figs (Ficus carica L.), Geodia cydonium, and wild thistles (Onopordum spp.) are presented in Section 5.Contributors are of international and national standing, leaders in the field, and trendsetters. Emerging fields of the Mediterranean diet science and important discoveries relating to diet and nutrition will also be incorporated in The Mediterranean Diet: An Evidence-Based Approach, Second Edition.This represents essential reading for nutritionists, dietitians, health care professionals, research scientists, biochemists, physicians, general practitioners, public health practitioners, as well as those interested in health.