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Review
. 2021 Jan 28;13(2):429.
doi: 10.3390/nu13020429.

Mediterranean-Type Dietary Pattern and Physical Activity: The Winning Combination to Counteract the Rising Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

Greta Caprara  1
Affiliations
Review

Mediterranean-Type Dietary Pattern and Physical Activity: The Winning Combination to Counteract the Rising Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

Greta Caprara. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and type 2 diabetes) are the main causes of death worldwide. Their burden is expected to rise in the future, especially in less developed economies and among the poor spread across middle- and high-income countries. Indeed, the treatment and prevention of these pathologies constitute a crucial challenge for public health. The major non-communicable diseases share four modifiable behavioral risk factors: unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco usage and excess of alcohol consumption. Therefore, the adoption of healthy lifestyles, which include not excessive alcohol intake, no smoking, a healthy diet and regular physical activity, represents a crucial and economical strategy to counteract the global NCDs burden. This review summarizes the latest evidence demonstrating that Mediterranean-type dietary pattern and physical activity are, alone and in combination, key interventions to both prevent and control the rise of NCDs.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet; exercise; healthy lifestyle; life expectancy; non-communicable diseases; physical activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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