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. 2016 Mar 9;146(4):920S–927S. doi: 10.3945/jn.115.218487

FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 1

Consumption of Mediterranean foods improves cardiometabolic health because of their rich composition in bioactive nutrients and phytochemicals and their synergizing effects on metabolic pathways. The main nutrients of the MedDiet are shown along with their principal biological targets (arrow connections). The net effects on intermediate markers of cardiometabolic disease risk shown for these nutrients and their parent foods in clinical trials include the lowering of cholesterol and TGs, increased HDL cholesterol, improved glycemic control, decreased blood pressure, reduced adiposity, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. The overall result is reduced MetS and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk, as suggested for most of the MedDiet in observational cohort studies and the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea trial. See text for details. CHO, carbohydrate; EVOO, extra-virgin olive oil; GI, glycemic index; HDL-C, HDL cholesterol; MedDiet, Mediterranean diet; MetS, metabolic syndrome; TC, total cholesterol; Vegs., vegetables. Adapted from reference 60 with permission.