Wine is not a health food, let’s be clear. But there is research to support that a “Mediterranean way of drinking”—or drinking no more than one glass of wine per day with food—may have certain health benefits for adults over 35, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition to alcohol, the Mediterranean diet asks you to limit ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and foods that are super high in sugar (excluding fruits), says Berghoff.
Benefits of the Mediterranean diet
According to Berghoff, many of the Mediterranean diet’s health benefits stem from the ways this eating style reduces inflammation within the body. On the one hand, you’re cutting back on foods that are known to cause inflammation, such as high-sugar foods, highly processed foods, red meats, and alcohol, she says. On the other, you’re increasing the amount of inflammation-reducing foods you’re eating, including plants, omega-3 fatty acids, and monounsaturated fats (largely from olive oil).
What can this do for the body, more specifically?
1. Promotes heart health
As mentioned, the original draw to the Mediterranean diet for many people was the research that supported its positive impact on heart health. And since Dr. Keys’s work in the 1950s, new studies have continued to support the Med diet’s ability to improve cardiovascular fitness.
In one study published in 2013, approximately 7,500 people with a high risk of cardiovascular disease in Spain were asked to either follow a Mediterranean style of eating or a controlled diet. After following the participants for nearly 5 years, the diet’s impact was clear (so clear, in fact, that the study was ended early): for those following the Mediterranean diet, the risk of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 30 percent.
The American Heart Association also supports the Mediterranean diet, saying: “This style of eating can play a big role in preventing heart disease and stroke and reducing risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.”
2. Supports healthy blood sugar levels and reduces risk of diabetes
“What the current research says is that a plant-forward type of eating is also supportive when it comes to blood sugar management,” says Feller.
A 2017 meta-analysis of studies that included a total of 1.5 million people found that the heart-friendly Mediterranean diet has a “strong potential for preventing diabetes.” In 2020, research published in the journal Nutrients concluded that following a Mediterranean-style diet was effective for reducing HbA1c (or blood glucose) levels and could also play a role in managing the progression of type 2 diabetes.
3. Supports bone and joint health
Recent research also shows that adhering to a Mediterranean diet that’s rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients can improve bone mineral density, muscle mass, and movement ability—and could, therefore, slow the onset of osteoporosis and sarcopenia (loss of muscle strength).
4. Protects against certain cancers
According to the National Foundation for Cancer Research, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce cancer-related deaths and also play a role in preventing certain cancers, including colorectal, breast, stomach, pancreas, prostate, and lung.
“There is some compelling research around high intakes of plants as well as seafood-rich patterns of eating [having an impact on] some cancers. So this is thought to be an anticarcinogenic pattern of eating,” says Feller.
Feller also makes clear, however, that while the Mediterranean diet may be protective against some cancers, it is not a cure for cancer.
5. Supports longevity
Put all these benefits together, and you’re looking at the potential to live a longer, healthier life. In fact, two of the original five Blue Zones—or regions that are home to the longest-living people in the world—are within the Mediterranean: Ikaria, Greece and Sardinia, Italy.
What lifestyle habits are part of the Mediterranean diet?
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: The Mediterranean diet is more of a way of life than an actual diet.
Dining and Cooking