ABSTRACT
I. Introduction...................................................................................................205 II. The Mediterranean Diet and All-Causes Mortality Data.............................206 III. The Mediterranean Diet and Mortality from Cancer and CHD..................207 IV. The Free Radical and Mitochondrial Theory of Aging ...............................210 V. The Mediterranean Diet and Oxidative Stress.............................................211 VI. The Mediterranean Diet and Mitochondrial Respiration.............................213 VII. The Mediterranean Diet and DNA Damage ................................................213 VIII. The Mediterranean Diet and Immunity........................................................214 IX. The Mediterranean Diet and Detoxification ................................................214 X. Antimicrobial Effects of the Mediterranean Diet ........................................215 XI. The Mediterranean Diet and Cellular Senescence.......................................215 XII. Conclusions...................................................................................................215 References..............................................................................................................216
The virtues of the Mediterranean Diet have been advocated since the Renaissance. Efforts at facilitating change in dietary patterns toward the Mediterranean prototype have been manifested in the works of American and European authors since 1614. The impetus came from a book on Italian herbs, fruits, and vegetables by Giacomo Castelvetro, an exile from Modena, Italy.
