The dietary patterns that prevail in the Mediterranean area have many common characteristics, most of which stem from the fact that olive oil plays an important role in all of them. Thus, although different regions in the Mediterranean basin have their own diets, it is accurate to consider them as variants of a single entity, the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet can be described as the dietary pattern found in the olive growing areas of the Mediterranean region, in the late '50s and early '60s, when the consequences of World War II were overcome, but the fast-food culture had not reached the area yet [₁,₂,₈]. Olive oil is important both because of its several beneficial properties and because it allows the consumption of large quantities of vegetables and legumes in the form of salads and of cooked foods. Other essential components of the Mediterranean diet are wheat, grapes, and their derived products. Total lipid consumption may be high, around 40% of total energy intake as in Greece, or moderate, around 30% of total energy intake as in Italy. In all instances, however, the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated dietary lipids is much higher.

Analyses of the dietary pattern of the diet of Crete shows a number of protective substances, such as selenium, glutathione, a balanced ratio of essential fatty acids (EFA), high amounts of fiber, antioxidants (especially resveratrol from wine and polyphenols from olive oil), vitamins E and C, some of which have been shown to be associated with lower risk of cancer, including cancer of the breast. These findings should serve as a strong incentive for the initiation of intervention trials that will test the effect of specific dietary patterns in the prevention and management of patients with cancer [₈,₉].

Mediterranean countries are falling under three classes: South European, North African and Middle Eastern. They differ in economical level and culture but they are all share unique historical and cultural mixing and interchange. South European has well research epidemiological and nutritional researches. Most of the literature dealing with nutrition and epidemiological effect was conducted in south European countries especially Spain, Italy and Greece; little has come from Middle Eastern and North African Countries. All existing studies by Keys and other are limited to Southern European countries. But not the other Mediterranean countries' diet.

The health of the individual and the population in general is the result of interactions between genetics and a number of environmental factors. The human genetic profile has not changed over the past 10,000 years, whereas major changes have taken place in our food supply and in energy expenditure and physical activity. Nutrition is an environmental factor of major importance.[₈,₉,₁₀,₁₁,₁₂,₁₃,₁₄]

Today, industrialized societies are characterized by the following:

1. an increase in energy intake and decrease in energy expenditure;

2. an increase in saturated fat, (n-6) fatty acids and trans fatty acids and a decrease in (n-3) fatty acid intake;

3. a decrease in complex carbohydrates and fiber intake;

4. an increase in cereal grains and a decrease in fruit and vegetable intake; and

5. a decrease in protein, antioxidant and calcium intake. Furthermore, the ratio of (n-6) to (n-3) fatty acids is 16.74:1, whereas during evolution it was 2–1:1

The traditional Mediterranean diet is frequently being considered as a prototype for dietary recommendations. The authors investigated a weekly menu typical of the Greek variant of the Mediterranean diet to examine the compatibility with the nutritional recommendations of the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Commission, concerning macronutrients and certain micronutrients. The investigated a typical weekly traditional Greek Mediterranean menu by chemical analyzes, but certain food constituents, like flavonoids were theoretically estimated. They found that the evaluated typical menu meets all the dietary recommendations for macronutrients. The daily energy intake is derived from dietary lipids (40.3%) and carbohydrates (41.4%). The ratio of alpha-tocopherol per gram of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the Mediterranean diet under investigation is around 0.4 mg, indicating a well-balanced diet. With respect to microcomponents, with existing recommendations of the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Commission, such as inorganic constituents, the investigated menu meets all the requirements. They concluded that the diet that the Mediterranean populations developed many years ago, without any scientific input, appears to meet current dietary recommendations [₁₄].

The original triangular scale of nutrition has been modified to have rectangular scales as the Greek researchers suggested. Fig 1 a,b.

Figure 1

Figure 1a: The old food triangle; The base of the triangle means free helping with moderation, as we approached the top less access is recommended. b: The Greek diet column more emphasis of whole diet balance with exercise, moderation in intake. [15] Simopoulos, A. P. (1996) The Mediterranean Food Guide. Greek column rather than an Egyptian pyramid. Nutr. Today 30:54-61.

Figure 2

The traditional Mediterranean diet meets several important criteria for a healthy diet. An attempt to conceptualize the proper diet and to make it able to function has been reported and a score has been developed and evaluated. Studies among the elderly in Greece, Denmark, Australia, Spain and China have shown

The overall Mediterranean dietary pattern was more important for longevity than single nutrients. These findings suggest, therefore, that a Mediterranean diet is associated with longer survival.

It is a way of living gathered by collective society's trial and error methods. It is determined by local food habitat, balance between needs and availability of the edible food, economics and atmospheric seasons.

It is very difficult to find a reply to this question. Answers to these questions would be important for scientific and policy reasons. The dietary patterns that prevail in the Mediterranean area have many common characteristics, most of which stem from the fact that olive oil plays an important role in all of them. Thus, although different regions in the Mediterranean basin have their own diets, it is legitimate to consider them as variants of a single entity, the Mediterranean diet.

Middle Eastern countries follow the trend of nutrition of the west. Sometimes poverty and underdevelopment impose a restrictive traditional Mediterranean diet similar to a long extent that of Greece and Create diet Fig 2 a.b.c.d & e

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