ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean diet (MeD) serves as a good example of the wild oscillations often seen in science’s assessment of some aspects of itself: in just a short time, the MeD has turned, from being held to be boring and rather less than convenient (compared with fast food), into its present status of being considered a dietary panacea protecting against a wide range of common diseases. There are some dangers in this present position, as it is obvious that there is no single diet that is protective against all diseases. Indeed, even in the general information given to the public on the diet/health relationship it is clear that many doubts and contradictions remain. According to Brubacher (1991), in his prologue to the proceedings of the Symposium on diet and health in Europe: the evidence, this situation is summarized in the following paradox: There remains no doubt about the relationship between diet and health, and yet, in spite of the many studies carried out in recent years, we have no concrete evidence of this relationship.
