Introduction

Since the 1950s, health professionals such as Ancel Keys have been studying the diets of the people of the Mediterranean. The people of Greece, particularly Crete, had the longest life expectancy in the world until the 1960s, followed by Southern Italy, Spain, and France. The important aspects of the Mediterranean diet are high intakes of cereals, grains, vegetables, dried beans, olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, seafood, and fruit. Wine is taken with food in moderation. Meat and poultry are also eaten in moderation, with poultry more frequently served than red meat. Animal fats in the form of butter, cream and lard are not included in the diet.

Much of the Mediterranean food and cooking found today can be traced back to times of antiquity.  The area that compromises the Mediterranean consists of three continents and more than 15 countries. Some of the countries that influence the Mediterranean diet are: Portugal, southern Spain, southern France, southern Italy, Greece, Crete, southern Turkey, western Syria, western Lebanon, western Israel, northern Eygpt, northern Libya, northern Algeria and northern Morocco. It was on the shores of the Mediterranean that Western Civilization had its beginnings. The olive vine, wheat, seafood, and meats were enhanced by Arab spices from the East. The Arabs were said to have the greatest influence on the Mediterranean Diet, bringing nuts, saffron, rice, spinach, sugar cane, and oranges into the region.

Although as much as 40% of total daily calories are from fat in the traditional Mediterranean diet, cardiovascular diseases is substantially decreased. As a monounsaturated fatty acid, olive oil does not raise cholesterol to the same extent as do saturated fats. Olive oil is also a good source of antioxidants. Eating fish a few times per week benefits the Mediterraneans by increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Eating red meat sparingly seems to also increase health by lowering cholesterol.

Fats are large molecules constructed from glycerol and fatty acids. Glycerol is an alcohol with three carbons bearing a hydroxyl group. A fatty acid had a long carbon chain with one end consisting of a carboxyl group. If there are no double bonds between the carbon atoms composing the tail, then hydrogen atoms are bonded to the carbon skeleton making a saturated fatty acid. An unsaturated fatty acid has one or more double bonds, formed by the removal of hydrogen atoms from the skeleton.

Most animal fats such as grease, butter, lard and oils are made of saturated fats. They solidify at room temperature. In contrast, unsaturated fats of plants and fish are liquid at room temperature. The kinks where the double bonds are located prevent the molecules from packing together closely enough to solidify at room temperature. Humans and other mammals stock their long-term food reserves in adipose tissue, which swell and shrink based on fat intake. A diet rich in saturated fats (one full of junk food) is one that may contribute to obesity and cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. In this condition, deposits called plaques develop on the internal lining of blood vessels. They can impede blood flow and cause overworking of the heart.

Cholesterol can also have an effect on the body. Cholesterol molecules help keep cell membrane fluidity in the body. Cholesterol travels in blood as low-density lipoproteins, complexes of lipids and proteins. These particles bind to LDL receptors on membranes and enter the cell. In humans, high cholesterol can causes the LDL receptor proteins to be defective and LDL particles cannot enter the cell. Cholesterol then accumulates in the blood and can cause blockages.

Omega 3 fatty acids are oils from flaxseed (fed to chicken), fish and a type of algae food on the market that is a supplement to chicken feed in Europe. Omega-3's are essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot create without first obtaining them from food. The 'omega' number defines which carbon the first double bond occurs in a carbon chain that begins with a methyl group and ends with an acid group. Linolenic acid, the primary omega-3 fatty acid, can be obtained through many fats, oils, nuts, and soybeans. However, while eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are also from the omega-3 family, can both be created by the body in the presence of linolenic acid, they are best available through breast milk for infants and seafood for adults.

EPA and DHA are very important for normal brain development, communication, and vision. What has brought these fish oils into the spotlight in recent years, however, are the possible protective roles on arthritis, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease. Many studies have shown a positive relationship between the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids to a decrease of symptoms in chronic conditions such as rthritis and lupus. Some studies have suggested that an increase in omega-3 fatty acids may actually help to prevent rheumatoid arthritis, while other research has supported a decrease in childhood asthma symptoms and incidence. Some research debates these claims.

The majority of omega-3 research has focused on the relationship these fats have with heart disease. According to a brief overview published in an American Dietetic Association's Nutrition in Complementary Care newsletter, omega-3 fatty acids "are believed to contribute to an overall vascular environment less prone to occlusion by atherosclerotic plaques." This statement significantly describes the direct benefit of fish-oils to increased cardiovascular health.

Antioxidants are nature’s protection against assault by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that punch holes into our body’s cellular walls, damaging DNA, the genetic material within the cells. The damage to the body is similar to rust on an old car, reducing the body’s capability to combat aging, cancer, hardening of the arteries, and other degenerative changes. Only recently have scientists discovered the immunity-boosting, antiaging, health-promoting effects of antioxidants and phytochemicals. Evidence suggests that these substances can offer protection against premature aging and delay or even reverse certain chronic diseases. Current research indicates that antioxidants may offer protection against the following diseases: heart attack, stroke, hardening of the arteries cancer aging (i.e. slowing the aging process), Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, certain eye diseases, arthritis, and osteoporosis.

Antioxidants receiving the most attention have been Vitamins E and C and beta-carotene. Vitamin E has the most well documented success in combating heart disease. Many studies have shown a consistently inverse relationship between Vitamin E and rate of heart disease and heart attacks. Beta-carotene has also been shown to reduce rate of heart attacks. Research on vitamin C has been less persuasive for combating heart disease. However, vitamin C appears to protect vitamin E from damage, thus, indirectly reducing risk for heart attacks.