Abstract
The Mediterranean diet has been of interest since the Seven Countries Study was performed in the 1960s. Benefits of the Mediterranean diet for the reduction of cardiovascular disease (specifically coronary heart disease) have been demonstrated in observational and interventional studies. Some also believe that the Mediterranean diet has comparable effect and is more palatable than the low-fat diet commonly recommended by many cardiologists. This review discusses the evidence of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet on prevention of cardiovascular disease and compares the effects of the Mediterranean diet to that of the low-fat diet