What has research concluded about theMediterranean diet?

Passage 3

The Mediterranean diet is based upon the eatingpatterns of traditional cultures in the Mediterranean region.

Several noted nutritionists and research projectshave concluded that this diet is one of the most healthful in the world in termsof preventing such illnesses as heart disease and cancer, and increasing lifeexpectancy.

The countries that have inspired the Mediterraneandiet all surround the Mediterranean Sea. Thesecultures have eating habits that developed over thousands of years. In Europe,parts ofItaly,Greece,Portugal,Spain, and southernFranceadhere to principles of the Mediterraneandiet, as doMoroccoandTunisiain North Africa.Parts of the Balkan region andTurkeyfollow the diet, as well as Middle Eastern countries likeLebanonandSyria. The Mediterranean region iswarm and sunny, and produces large supplies of fresh fruits and vegetablesalmost year round that people eat many times a day. Wine, bread, olive oil, andnuts, are other staples of the region, and the Mediterranean Sea has historically yielded abundant quantities of fish.

International interest in the therapeutic qualitiesof the Mediterranean diet began back in the late 1950s, when medicalresearchers started to link the occurrence of heart disease with diet. Dr.Ancel Keys performed an epidemiological analysis of diets around the world.Entitled the Seven Countries Study, is considered one of the greatestepidemiological studies ever performed. In it, Keys gathered data on heartdisease and its potential causes from nearly 13,000 men inGreece,Italy,Croatia,Serbia,Japan,Finland, theNetherlands, and theUnited States. The study wasconducted over a period of decades. It concluded that the Mediterranean peoplein the study enjoyed some significant health advantages. The Mediterraneangroups had lower mortality rates in all age brackets and from all causes,particularly from heart disease. The study also showed that the Mediterraneandiet is as high or higher in fat than other diets, obtaining up to 40% of allits calories from fat. It has, however, different patterns of fat intake.Mediterranean cooking uses smaller amounts of saturated fat and higher amountsof unsaturated fat, mostly in the form of olive oil. Saturated fats are fatsthat are found principally in meat and dairy products, although some nuts andvegetable oils also contain them. Saturated fats are used by the body to makecholesterol, and high levels of cholesterol have since been directly related toheart disease.

What do we learn about the Seven CountriesStudy?

What do we learn about the Mediterraneanpeople from the Seven Countries Study?

讲座3介绍地中海饮食法，建基于地中海地区的传统饮食习惯和文化而得名。数字知名营养学家从研究中得出地中海饮食法是世界上最健康饮食方法之一的结论，对应第23题。国际间对地中海饮食法的兴趣是从1950年代的”七国研究”开始的。此研究被认为是

流行病学史中最伟大的研究之一；对应第24题答案。此研究结果指出，地中海地区人民的全年龄分段的死亡率低于其他分组地区人民，可能是由于其饮食习惯；对应第25题。