A common diet that many people are following today is the Mediterranean diet. Although the diet was first published in the 1940s people have not taken to the diet until the 1990s. The health benefits are more than enough to entice someone. Many are said to have lived longer lives on a Medeterranian diet which includes nuts, moderate wine consumption, a low consumption of meats, olive oil, high consumption of fish, unrefined cereals, and fruits and vegetables. One of the mysteries but benefits of the Mediterranean diet is that even though there are high amounts of fats that are consumed, levels that parallel those in the U.S. which have been linked to cardiovascular disease, the Mediterranean diet does not have the same effects. People simply live longer without the results of cardiovascular diseases.

One main component of the diet is olive oil. Olive oil contains a large amount of monounsaturated fats and oleic acid which is linked to a reduction in coronary heart disease. Also there are high levels of antioxidants in olive oil which improve the regulation of cholesterol. Wine also is an important aspect of the diet which is said to contain flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.

Disease prevention is one of the typical reasons to embrace the Mediterranean diet, of course the less diseases a person has the longer they are to live life. The majority of people that change eating habits for over 2 years have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes.