Mediterranean diet and health status: an updated meta-analysis and a proposal for a literature-based adherence score.

Researchers combined results from many studies of adults who followed the Mediterranean diet to different degrees. This eating pattern emphasizes vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, nuts, fish, and olive oil, while limiting red meat and heavily processed foods. People who followed it more closely generally had lower risks of early death, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and some brain diseases. The researchers also proposed a simple score for measuring how closely someone follows the diet. Many included studies were observational, meaning researchers tracked people rather than assigning their diets, so they cannot prove the diet alone caused the benefits.

What this means for you: Choosing more Mediterranean-style foods is a reasonable healthy option, especially replacing processed foods and red meat with plant foods, fish, and olive oil. The overall evidence is encouraging, but the exact size of the benefit is uncertain because much of it comes from observational studies.