Abstract

ALMEIDA, Mariana  and  OLIVEIRA, Andreia. Mediterranean and Atlantic dietary patterns: an approach to key characteristics and health effects. Acta Port Nutr [online]. 2017, n.11, pp.22-28. ISSN 2183-5985.  https://doi.org/10.21011/apn.2017.1104.

The study of dietary patterns captures the cumulative and interaction effect of various foods and nutrients and can be more easily interpreted by the population, thus assuming particular importance in Public Health. The Mediterranean Diet and the Atlantic Diet are dietary patterns defined by an hypothesis-oriented approach (a priori) and are representative of a particular region, such as Portugal, and its cultural and social customs, reinforced over several years. Each one has properties that give them the status of healthy diets. In terms of benefits to health, the MD and its components have been extensively associated with a lower cardiovascular risk, and also a protective effect on cancer incidence and mortality, especially breast cancer, prostate, gastric and colorectal cancer has been described. The MD also presents evidence of having a favorable role in the prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes, inflammatory rheumatic diseases, osteoporosis and at the cognitive level. The role of the AD in health has much less evidence due to its much more recent definition, but it has already been associated with a better cardiovascular profile. The westernization of these traditional dietary patterns concerns the scientific community in general.

Keywords : Disease; Atlantic Diet; Mediterranean Diet; Dietary patterns; Health.

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