Mladen Boban Abstract

Mediterranean diet – with or without wine?

Prof. Mladen Boban, M.D., Ph.D.

Department of Pharmacology

University of Split School of Medicine

Šoltanska 2, 21 000 Split, Croatia

The Mediterranean Diet is considered as one of the healthiest dietary patterns in the world.  It is characterized by abundance in plant-based foods and the lack of processed foods. The WHO identified the Mediterranean Diet as an effective dietary strategy to prevent and control diet-related chronic diseases. Several studies examined relative importance of the individual components of the Med Diet in their contribution to the association of this diet with lower all-cause mortality. It was found that moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages, particularly wine, is a dominant component of the Med Diet as a predictor of lower mortality.

On the other side, some population studies have suggested that ANY alcoholic beverage is harmful to health.

In the light of this controversy, the scientific evidence will be discussed if wine can still be part of the Mediterranean Diet, or if it should be taken out of the Mediterranean Diet pyramid.