title: Mediterranean diet for type 2 diabetes: cardiometabolic benefits.
abstract: Dietary patterns influence various cardiometabolic risk factors, including body weight, lipoprotein concentrations, and function, blood pressure, glucose-insulin homeostasis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial health. The Mediterranean diet can be described as a dietary pattern characterized by the high consumption of plant-based foods, olive oil as the main source of fat, low-to-moderate consumption of fish, dairy products and poultry, low consumption of red and processed meat, and low-to-moderate consumption of wine with meals. The American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association recommend Mediterranean diet for improving glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes. Prospective studies show that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a 20-23 % reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while the results of randomized controlled trials show that Mediterranean diet reduces glycosylated hemoglobin levels by 0.30-0.47 %, and is also associated with a 28-30 % reduced risk for cardiovascular events. The mechanisms by which Mediterranean diet produces its cardiometabolic benefits in type 2 diabetes are, for the most, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative: increased consumption of high-quality foods may cool down the activation of the innate immune system, by reducing the production of proinflammatory cytokines while increasing that of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This may favor the generation of an anti-inflammatory milieu, which in turn may improve insulin sensitivity in the peripheral tissues and endothelial function at the vascular level and ultimately act as a barrier to the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and development of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy. katherine.esposito@unina2.it.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Geriatric Sciences, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Ida
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Maiorino
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Geriatric Sciences, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellastella
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Demosthenes B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Panagiotakos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Geriatric Sciences, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giugliano
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000178:diet therapy*; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Cardiometabolic risk; Cardiovascular events; Glycemic control; Mediterranean diet; Type 2 diabetes