Major approaches to the mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome: a concise systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome is the association of chronic diseases related to diet and physical activity. Also recognized as a complex entity that associates well-established cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes, among others, with central fat deposition and insulin resistance. Currently, Metabolic Syndrome has gained disturbing dimensions within clinical practice, becoming one of the greatest challenges at the beginning of this century. In contrast, the Mediterranean diet recognized by the combination of a tasty palate and nutritional benefits, in addition to the culture of its link between health and longevity is a strategy in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Although there is no consensus on the most adequate nutritional strategy to treat Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in a way that reduces cardiovascular risk, recent studies show the efficacy of adopting healthy lifestyles capable of reversing this trend. Objective: To address the role of diet in MS therapy, with a primary focus on the interaction of the benefits of different nutritional interventions in the remission of MS, contributing to the integration of the current evidence in the preexisting context. Methods: The model followed for the systematic review was PRISMA. The search strategy was carried out in the databases PubMed, Embase, Ovid and Cochrane Library, Web Of Science, Science Direct Journals (Elsevier), Scopus (Elsevier), and OneFile (Gale), from September to November 2022, with articles in the last years. Results and Conclusion: In light of the studies carried out in the research it was found that the Mediterranean diet has shown benefits in the secondary prevention of this syndrome, although the underlying mechanisms are not completely clear. It is important to revitalize and apply this diet in the future in terms of preventive and therapeutic guidelines.