Mediterranean diet and health status: Active ingredients and pharmacological mechanisms

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is one of the most widely described and evaluated dietary patterns in scientific literature. It is characterized by high intakes of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, grains, fish, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, and a moderate intake of red wine. A large body of observational and experimental evidence suggests that higher adherence to the MedDiet is associated with lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and cancer. Current mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of the MedDiet include reduction of blood lipids, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, improvement of insulin sensitivity, enhancement of endothelial function, and antithrombotic function. Most likely, these effects are attributable to bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, or fibre. This review will focus on both established and less established mechanisms of action of biochemical compounds contained in a MedDiet. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed section on The Pharmacology of Nutraceuticals. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.6/issuetoc

Chemopreventive Effect of the Germinated Oat and Its Phenolic-AVA Extract in Azoxymethane/Dextran Sulfate Sodium (AOM/DSS) Model of Colon Carcinogenesis in Mice

“…Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the relationship between high consumption of whole grains (90 g or three servings per day) and the reduced risk of coronary artery disease, cardiovascular disease, total cancer, and all-cause mortality [42]. Similarly, the suboptimal intake of whole grains (38 g/d) was associated with CRC burden across 16 European countries [43]. Therefore, an optimal intake of 50-100 g/d was considered in our study to establish the dose administered in the AOM/DSS-induced CRC mouse model (75 g/d).…”

Mitochondrial Ca2+‐activated F1FO‐ATPase hydrolyzes ATP and promotes the permeability transition pore

“…Covalent inhibitors, such as 4‐chloro‐7‐nitro‐1,2,3‐benzoxadiazole (NBD‐Cl), modify the amino acid residues near the nucleotide‐binding site in the catalytic β subunits, while noncovalent inhibitors inhibit enzyme catalysis through weak interactions and do not directly interact with the catalytic sites. Noncovalent inhibitors, namely piceatannol, resveratrol, and quercetin, were selected among polyphenolic phytochemicals that abundantly occur in the Mediterranean diet and are known as beneficial in the treatment and prevention of human pathologies, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases . These polyphenolic compounds are known to inhibit ATP hydrolysis by F 1 without binding to the catalytic sites by interacting with the enzyme in a common binding region on F 1 .…”

Highlights into the pharmacology of nutraceuticals

“…A large section in this edition is devoted to un‐picking the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and the “French Paradox,” whereby moderate consumption of red wine, in the presence of fruits and vegetables, olive oil, some cheese and limited red meat is robustly associated with longevity and lower levels of all‐cause mortality including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and cognitive dysfunction. The review by Schwingshackl, Morze and Hoffmann () explores components within the Mediterranean diet thought most likely to endow benefits, providing informative schematics of the potential networks of biochemical changes underpinning the effects. The main challenge in this setting has been to define appropriate comparator diets.…”

“…Schwingshackl et al () introduce the discussion of the therapeutic benefits of resveratrol, a phytoalexin from the polyphenol grouping found in red wine, which has achieved particular interest and where the depth of research is greater (Durazzo et al, ). This agent is explored in more detail in another article of this themed issue (Cheng et al, ).…”

“…Schwingshackl et al () introduce the field of nutrigenomics in relation to the Mediterranean diet, whereby nutritional agents can affect the genome of the host through a variety of mechanisms, including epigenetics and generation of long non‐coding RNAs. The topic is reinforced in other two review articles of this themed issue (Beetch et al, ; Donovan et al, ).…”