Efi Koloverou, Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos
Abstract
Despite the on-going advances in treatment and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus, the latter remains a chronic condition that achieves rates of an epidemic, worldwide. The dramatic increase of diabetes, not only plays a role in the increase of the risk for cardiovascular disease, but also imposes a serious economic burden to the society, because of its serious complications. Since no curative treatment exists so far, primary prevention should be the cornerstone of the global response to the disease. There is growing evidence that dietary changes, may delay or even prevent diabetes development. Mediterranean Diet, one of the most popular dietary patterns, has been thoroughly studied in relation to various health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes management, with promising results. Here, the role of Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of diabetes mellitus is reviewed, and results of various studies are presented, with emphasis on the main proposed biological mechanisms.
Keywords: Mediterrenean Diet, diabetes, Pathophysiological mechanisms, review