Worldwide adherence to Mediterranean Diet between 1960 and 2011 (2024)

1. Noah A, Truswell AS. There are many Mediterranean diets. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2001;10:2–9.

   Article CAS Google Scholar

2. Karamanos B, Thanopoulou A, Angelico F, Assaad-Khalil S, Barbato A, Del Ben M, et al. Nutritional habits in the Mediterranean Basin. The macronutrient composition of diet and its relation with the traditional Mediterranean diet. Multi-centre study of the Mediterranean Group for the Study of Diabetes (MGSD). Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002;56:983–91.

   Article CAS Google Scholar

3. Willett WC, Sacks F, Trichopoulou A, Drescher G, Ferro-Luzzi A, Helsing E, et al. Mediterranean diet pyramid: a cultural model for healthy eating. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995;61(6 Suppl):1402S.

   Article CAS Google Scholar

4. Serra-Majem L, Trichopoulou A, de la Cruz JN, Cervera P, Álvarez AG, La Vecchia C, et al. Does the definition of the Mediterranean diet need to be updated? Public Health Nutr. 2004;7:927–9.

   Article Google Scholar

5. Bach-Faig A, Berry EM, Lairon D, Reguant J, Trichopoulou A, Dernini S, et al. Mediterranean diet pyramid today. Science and cultural updates. Public Health Nutr. 2011;14:2274–84.

   Article Google Scholar

6. Bonaccio M, Di Castelnuovo A, Bonanni A, Costanzo S, De Lucia F, Persichillo M, et al. Decline of the Mediterranean diet at a time of economic crisis. Results from the Moli-sani study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;24:853.

   Article CAS Google Scholar

7. Antentas JM, Vivas E. Impacto de la crisis en el derecho a una alimentación sana y saludable. Informe SESPAS 2014. Gac Sanit. 2014;28:58–61.

   Article Google Scholar

8. Rao M, Afshin A, Singh G, Mozaffarian D. Do healthier foods and diet patterns cost more than less healthy options? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2013;3:e004277.

   Article Google Scholar

9. Lopez CN, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Sanchez-Villegas A, Alonso A, Pimenta AM, Bes-Rastrollo M. Costs of Mediterranean and western dietary patterns in a Spanish cohort and their relationship with prospective weight change. J Epidemiol Com Health. 2009;63:920.

   Article CAS Google Scholar

10. Darmon N, Drewnowski A. Contribution of food prices and diet cost to socioeconomic disparities in diet quality and health: a systematic review and analysis. Nutr Rev. 2015;73:643–60.

    Article Google Scholar

    See Also

    Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 20-year incidence of hypertension: the ATTICA prospective epidemiological study (2002–2022)

11. Keys A Seven countries. A multivariate analysis of death and coronary heart disease. Harvard University Press; 1980.

12. Serra-Majem L, Roman B, Estruch R. Scientific evidence of interventions using the Mediterranean diet: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2006;64(suppl 1):S27–S47.

    Article Google Scholar

13. Dinu M, Pagliai G, Casini A, Sofi F. Mediterranean diet and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies and randomised trials. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2018;72:30–43. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2017.58

    Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

14. Sofi F, Macchi C, Abbate R, Gensini GF, Casini A. Mediterranean diet and health. Biofactors. 2013;39:335–42.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

15. Bach A, Serra-Majem L, Carrasco JL, Roman B, Ngo J, Bertomeu I, et al. The use of indexes evaluating the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in epidemiological studies: a review. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9:132–46.

    Article Google Scholar

16. Bach-Faig A, Fuentes-Bol C, Ramos D, Carrasco JL, Roman B, Bertomeu IF, et al. The Mediterranean diet in Spain: adherence trends during the past two decades using the Mediterranean Adequacy Index. Public Health Nutr. 2011;14:622–8.

    Article Google Scholar

17. Balanza R, García-Lorda P, Pérez-Rodrigo C, Aranceta J, Bonet MB, Salas-Salvadó J. Trends in food availability determined by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s food balance sheets in Mediterranean Europe in comparison with other European areas. Public Health Nutr. 2007;10:168–76.

    Article Google Scholar

18. Fidanza F, Alberti A, Lanti M, Menotti A. Mediterranean Adequacy Index: correlation with 25-year mortality from coronary heart disease in the Seven Countries Study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2004;14:254–8.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

19. Rodrigues SSP, Caraher M, Trichopoulou A, de Almeida MDV. Portuguese households’ diet quality (adherence to Mediterranean food pattern and compliance with WHO population dietary goals): trends, regional disparities and socioeconomic determinants. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008;62:1263–72.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

20. da Silva R, Bach-Faig A, Raidó Quintana B, Buckland G, Vaz de Almeida MD, Serra-Majem L. Worldwide variation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, in 1961–1965 and 2000–2003. Public Health Nutr. 2009;12:1676–84.

    Article Google Scholar

21. FAOSTAT (2017) Food Balance Sheets. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statistics Division. http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E. Accessed March 2017.

22. Jacobs K, Sumner DA. The Food Balance Sheets of the Food and Agriculture Organization: A Review of Potential Ways to Broaden the Appropriate Uses of the Data. A review sponsored by FAO. Davis, California: University of California, Davis; 2002.

    Google Scholar

23. Alberti-Fidanza A, Fidanza F, Chiuchiù MP, Verducci G, Fruttini D. Dietary studies on two rural italian population groups of the Seven Countries Study. 3. Trend Of food and nutrient intake from 1960 to 1991. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999;53:854–60.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

24. Alberti A, Fruttini D, Fidanza F. The Mediterranean Adequacy Index: Further confirming results of validity. Nutr Metab Cardiovas Dis. 2009;19:61–66.

    Article Google Scholar

25. Alberti-Fidanza A, Fidanza F. Mediterranean Adequacy Index of Italian diets. Public Health Nutr. 2004;7:937–41.

    Article Google Scholar

26. Garcia-Closas R, Berenguer A, González CA. Changes in food supply in Mediterranean countries from 1961 to 2001. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9:53–60.

    Article Google Scholar

27. Zeghichi-Hamri S, Kallithraka S. Mediterranean diet in the Maghreb: An update. World Rev Nutr Diet. 2007;97:139.

    PubMed Google Scholar

28. Vareiro D, Bach-Faig A, Quintana BR, Bertomeu I, Buckland G, de Almeida MD, et al. Availability of Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean foods during the last four decades: comparison of several geographical areas. Public Health Nutr. 2009;12:1667–75.

    Article Google Scholar

29. Schmidhuber J, Traill WB. The changing structure of diets in the European Union in relation to healthy eating guidelines. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9:584–95.

    Article Google Scholar

30. Helsing E. Traditional diets and disease patterns of the Mediterranean, circa 1960. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995;61(6 Suppl):1329S.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

31. Chen Q, Marques-Vidal P. Trends in food availability in Portugal in1966–2003: Comparison with other Mediterranean countries. Eur J Nutr. 2007;46:418–27.

    Article Google Scholar

32. Bacaria J, Folch R, París A, Renaga L, Ulied A, Vinas O, et al. Environmental atlas of the Mediterranean. The structure of the territory and the landscape. Fundació Territori i Paisatge, Barcelona 1999.

33. Tokudome S, Nagaya T, Okuyama H, Tokudome Y, Imaeda N, Kitagawa I, et al. Japanese versus Mediterranean diets and cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2000;1:61–66.

    PubMed Google Scholar

34. Serra-Majem L. Japomediterranean diet? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;58:1324–5.

    Article Google Scholar

35. Tokudome S, Ichikawa Y, Okuyama H, Tokudome Y, Goto C, Imaeda N, et al. The Mediterranean vs the Japanese diet. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;58:1323.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

36. Bonaccio M, Bes-Rastrollo M, de Gaetano G, Iacoviello L. Challenges to the Mediterranean diet at a time of economic crisis. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2016;S0939–4753:30112–0.

    Google Scholar

37. Grosso G, Marventano S, Giorgianni G, Raciti T, Galvano F, Mistretta A. Mediterranean diet adherence rates in Sicily, southern Italy. Public Health Nutr. 2014;17:2001–9.

    Article Google Scholar

38. Thompson B. Impact of the financial and economic crisis on nutrition. Policy and programme responses. Consumer and protection división. FAO Rome, 2009.

39. Bach-Faig A, Geleva D, Carrasco J, Ribas-Barba L, Serra-Majem L. Evaluating associations between Mediterranean diet adherence indexes and biomarkers of diet and disease. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9:1110–7.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

40. Lasheras C, Fernandez S, Patterson AM. Mediterranean diet and age with respect to overall survival in institutionalized, nonsmoking elderly people. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;71:987–92.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

41. Rodrigues S, Lopes C, Naska A, Trichopoulou A, De Almeida M. Comparison of national food supply, household food availability and individual food consumption data in Portugal. J Public Health. 2007;15:447–55.

    Article Google Scholar

42. Serra-Majem L, MacLean D, Ribas L, Brule D, Sekula W, Prattala R, et al. Comparative analysis of nutrition data from national, household, and individual levels: results from a WHO-CINDI collaborative project in Canada, Finland, Poland, and Spain. J Epidemiol Com Health. 2003;57:74–80.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

43. Hu FB, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Ascherio A, Spiegelman D, Willett WC. Prospective study of major dietary patterns and risk of coronary heart disease in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72:912–21.

    Article CAS Google Scholar

44. Popkin BM, Gordon-Larsen P. The nutrition transition: worldwide obesity dynamics and their determinants. Int J Obes. 2004;28:S2–S9.

    Article Google Scholar

45. Lachat C, Van Camp J, De Henauw S, Matthys C, Larondelle Y, Winter AR, et al. A concise overview of national nutrition action plans in the European Union Member States. Public Health Nutr. 2005;8:266–74.

    Article Google Scholar

46. Trichopoulou A. Traditional Mediterranean diet and longevity in the elderly: a review. Public Health Nutr. 2004;7:943–7.

    Article Google Scholar

47. Dernini S. Towards the advancement of the Mediterranean food cultures. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9:103–4.

    Article Google Scholar

Download references