The Mediterranean Diet: Lost in Translation

Despite substantive evidence documenting the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet to reduce cardiovascular events, underutilization is common. An overview of the data set supporting the role of the Mediterranean diet as confirmed in both observational and interventional trials should stimulate greater clinician interest in the diet. Additionally, the availability of patient-friendly tools that enable prompt and easy adoption of the Mediterranean diet, that are able to be used by clinicians who claim no special expertise in diet knowledge, should simplify the path to successful dietary change.

A large recently published (2018) prospective study of the Mediterranean diet for primary prevention of cardiovascular events confirmed that compared to control, Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular events in high risk patients. Of the tools available to clinicians that might reduce cardiovascular risk, dietary intervention is the one least utilized. The evidence supports the value of dietary intervention with the Mediterranean diet, and methods to effectively employ it within the confines of typical office practice are readily at hand.