The Mediterranean Diet in the Prevention of Degenerative Chronic Diseases

Abstract

Degenerative chronic diseases are a problem related to the aging phenomenon of industrialized countries due to the increase of risk factors and related comorbidity such as overweight, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia with a consequent increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. Moreover, the signiicant reduction of physical activity in daily life and the huge growth in food availability have considerably increased the risk of such diseases. Particular atention should be paid to primary prevention by means of health strategies based on improvement in lifestyle intervention such as implementation of Mediterranean diet and promotion of physical activity programs. In this chapter, the protective efect of Mediterranean diet and the role of certain foods and/or their constituents are analyzed; the possible mechanisms by which Mediterranean diet is efective in the prevention of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases are presented, in particular the efects exerted by antioxidants, polyphenols, ibers, unsaturated faty acids, and alcohol. The genetic revolution in the past decades has produced new ields of study where the interaction between foods, nutrients, and our genetic makeup is investigated. The relationship between nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics and the Mediterranean diet are the future area that research should discover.

Sports and Exercise Therapy in Holistic Strategy for Treating Chronic Diseases – literature review

“…These are primary mechanisms in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases [6]. There is still much debate regarding the optimal type, frequency, and intensity of physical activity; however, it is clear that regular, moderate activity is beneficial [7].…”