Mediterranean diet and its benefits on health and mental health: A literature review

Antonio Ventriglio; Federica Sancassiani; Maria Paola Contu; Mariateresa Latorre; Melanie Di Slavatore; Michele Fornaro; Dinesh Bhugra

doi:10.2174/1745017902016010156

Mediterranean diet and its benefits on health and mental health: A literature review

Antonio Ventriglio^*, Federica Sancassiani, Maria Paola Contu, Mariateresa Latorre, Melanie Di Slavatore, Michele Fornaro, Dinesh Bhugra

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

99 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mediterranean Diet (MD) is currently considered one of the most healthy dietary models worldwide. It is generally based on the daily intake of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, white meats, and olive oil. It may also include moderate consumption of fermented dairy products, a low intake of red meat, and red/white wine during the main course. Even if the effect of MD on cancer prevention as well as on human metabolic and cardiovascular balance has been discussed, including the quality of life of the exposed population, the putative effects on mental health are still not properly investigated. This narrative review reports on some emerging pieces of evidence on the possible impact of MD on general health and the outcome of psychiatric disorders (e.g., major depression, anxiety) and encourages further studies to test the benefits of healthy food selection on the health of the general population.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	156-164
Number of pages	9
Journal	Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health
Volume	16
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017902016010156
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2020

Keywords

Anxiety
Cancer
Depression
Health
Mediterranean Diet
Mental Health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.2174/1745017902016010156

Cite this

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abstract = "Mediterranean Diet (MD) is currently considered one of the most healthy dietary models worldwide. It is generally based on the daily intake of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, white meats, and olive oil. It may also include moderate consumption of fermented dairy products, a low intake of red meat, and red/white wine during the main course. Even if the effect of MD on cancer prevention as well as on human metabolic and cardiovascular balance has been discussed, including the quality of life of the exposed population, the putative effects on mental health are still not properly investigated. This narrative review reports on some emerging pieces of evidence on the possible impact of MD on general health and the outcome of psychiatric disorders (e.g., major depression, anxiety) and encourages further studies to test the benefits of healthy food selection on the health of the general population.",

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AU - Ventriglio, Antonio

AU - Sancassiani, Federica

AU - Contu, Maria Paola

AU - Latorre, Mariateresa

AU - Di Slavatore, Melanie

AU - Fornaro, Michele

AU - Bhugra, Dinesh

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KW - Cancer

KW - Depression

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Mediterranean diet and its benefits on health and mental health: A literature review

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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