THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND LIFE STYLE CHANGES ARE "KILLING" THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET. THE ALARM FROM "THE FUTURE OF SCIENCE" MEETING IN VENICE, SPONSORED BY UMBERTO VERONESI E DEDICATED TO THE THEME OF ELIMINATING HUNGER IN THE WORLD

We all defend ourselves against economic hardship as best we can. However, it seems more and more a fact that the economic crisis and changing lifestyles are "killing" the Mediterranean diet, recognized as a nutritional "cure-all" and an Italian style “must”.
In many areas of the world, the Mediterranean diet is still being exported (only for luxury "kitchens"), but in Italy people are following it less and less for the simple reason that the crisis has emptied plates and the dominant lifestyle is pushing for pre-cooked or packaged food, which do not always have the nutritional value that fresh food does.

This is what "The Future of Science", the meeting in Venice promoted by Umberto Veronesi and dedicated to eliminating hunger in the world, revealed. Maria Benedetti Donati, Mediterranean neurological Institute and Katia Petroni, biologist at the University of Milan discussed the topic. “The effects of the Mediterranean diet have been known for some time and recent research has reconfirmed” said Donati, “and certified the beneficial effects of the consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and wine in moderation. The positive results were demonstrated not only for primary prevention, health, but also the secondary, such as vascular disease, hormone-dependent cancers and neurodegenerative diseases”.

The fact that the Mediterranean diet is in decline, according to Donati, implies the progressive deterioration of health in the Italian population, starting from the increase in obesity.
Katia Petroni has emphasized the value of this nutritional approach, “confirmed” she said, “by a new branch of science, “nutrigenomics", which seeks to understand "how nutrients affect gene expression, metabolism and health, with the ultimate aim of identifying potential gene and protein biomarkers that may help in the early diagnosis of food-related diseases”.