Overview

The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based, nutrient-rich diet that encourages intake of olive oil, fish, and moderate amounts of red wine.

Certain components of the Mediterranean diet seem to contribute to its health benefits. It's high in fiber, which can help control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. It also includes a lot of healthy fats from fish, nuts, and olive oil. These fats have been linked to lower heart disease risk.

People use the Mediterranean diet for heart disease, memory and thinking skills, dementia, diabetes, and stroke. It's also used for high blood pressure, cancer, depression, weight loss, and many other purposes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these other uses.

Uses & Effectiveness

Possibly Effective for

  • Heart disease. People without heart disease who follow the Mediterranean diet seem to have a lower risk of developing heart disease. But it's not clear if it helps people who already have heart disease.
  • Memory and thinking skills (cognitive function). The Mediterranean diet seems to improve overall mental function in healthy, older adults.
  • Diseases, such as Alzheimer disease, that interfere with thinking (dementia). People who strictly follow the Mediterranean diet seem to have a lower risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer disease. But only partially following the diet doesn't seem to help.
  • Diabetes. Following the Mediterranean diet might help prevent type 2 diabetes and slightly improve blood sugar control in people with diabetes. It also seems to reduce the risk for gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy.
  • Stroke. The Mediterranean diet seems to reduce the risk of stroke in people at high risk of heart disease.

Possibly Ineffective for

  • High blood pressure. The Mediterranean diet doesn't seem to reduce blood pressure enough to help people with high blood pressure.

There is interest in using the Mediterranean diet for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Side Effects



Special Precautions and Warnings



The Mediterranean diet is likely safe for most people. There are no known side effects.

Pregnancy: The Mediterranean diet is possibly safe to use during pregnancy. Red wine should be avoided due to its alcohol content.

Breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if the Mediterranean diet is safe to use when breast-feeding. But it is a well-balanced diet, so there is no reason to expect safety concerns.

Interactions

We currently have no information for Mediterranean Diet overview.

Dosing

The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based diet that includes high amounts of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, as well as moderate amounts of red wine and dairy products. The diet emphasizes eating more fish and less meat. It's also low in processed foods, refined grains, and sugars. Be sure to seek and follow relevant directions from your physician or other healthcare professional before following this diet.
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CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

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