# Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is an eating pattern built around vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish, the kind of meals you can eat every day, with moderate dairy and limited red meat. It is rich in monounsaturated fats, fiber, and polyphenols. It is linked to lower body-wide inflammation, better cholesterol profiles, and healthier blood-vessel function. Over the long term, in cohort studies, sticking with it is tied to lower type 2 diabetes risk and lower all-cause death. The PREDIMED trial tested it (supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts; the paper was retracted and republished in 2018). It showed roughly a 30% drop in a combined cardiovascular endpoint (heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular death). But it was not designed to measure, and did not show, an all-cause death benefit.

## Sources

- Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, et al.; PREDIMED Study Investigators. (2018). Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1800389
- Martínez-González MA, Martín-Calvo N. (2016). Mediterranean diet and life expectancy; beyond olive oil, fruits, and vegetables. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0000000000000316

---

_Canonical: https://longevity-austria.com/en/glossary/mediterranean-diet · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-22_