Review Description:
The Mediterranean Diet is more of a description of the eating habits associated with the people of this area, rather than an actual diet. Originally identified through the low numbers of chronic disease and higher life expectancy throughout the region, despite a high fat diet, studies such as those conducted by Dr. Peter Ballmer (Director of Internal Medicine at Kanton Hospital) have indicated that the diet may be a preventative factor for certain diseases. Part of the key to this diet is the fact that olive oil is the main source of fat. It contains around 70% simple unsaturated fatty acids, which are though to increase HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. The diet includes regular and daily physical activity.