The Mediterranean diet and plasma lipid profile.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the 21st century. As it is almost always more cost-effective to invest in prevention than to cover the treatment costs of most diseases, many governments and institutions consider the prevention of cardiovascular disease to be a main priority of public healthcare systems. This prevention strategy is based on promoting a healthy lifestyle, including healthier diet patterns, more physical activity, body weight control, and cessation of toxic habits like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, etc. The relationship between diet (nutrition) and CVD has been one of the most active areas of research in nutritional epidemiology over the last 50 years. Many studies have analyzed the effects of the consumption of certain foods and nutrients on different vascular risk factors. Currently, however, the study of the effects of different eating patterns on health is considered a better approach because it assesses the synergic interaction of different foods and nutrients that make up diet. Several studies, including the most recent meta-analyses, indicate that the traditional Mediterranean diet, defined as the dietary pattern of the peoples that lived around the Mediterranean Sea during the 1960s, seems to be the most effective eating pattern for preventing numerous chronic diseases, including CVD. In other words, there is growing scientific evidence to confirm that what is known as the ‘‘Mediterranean paradox’’ (meaning lower absolute risk of ischemic heart disease for the same level of exposure to a risk factor) is due to a protective effect of the diet and lifestyle followed by the inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries. This dietary pattern, known as the Mediterranean diet, is characterized by: an abundant use of olive oil; high consumption of plant-based foods (fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds); frequent but moderate wine consumption (especially red) at meals; moderate consumption of fish, seafood, fermented dairy products (yogurt, cheese), poultry, eggs; and limited consumption of red meat, processed meat products, and also sweets. The diet is rich in key nutrients, such as monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil), polyunsaturated fatty acids (fish, nuts), dietary fiber (grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes), polyphenols (wine, extra virgin olive