The Mediterranean Diet to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes and its Complications

Abstract The exact biological explanations of the worldwide diabetes epidemic are unknown. However, it is generally accepted that there are many possible mechanisms at work, and that lifestyle factors are probably key to this issue. Thus, lifestyle interventions, including physical exercise and healthy nutrition, have been proposed to prevent type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its complications. The optimal dietary pattern seems to be the Mediterranean diet model. This model appears to be the most appropriate to maintain the pleasure of eating—and therefore the long-term adherence to that protective dietary pattern—and thus actually protect against the main complications of T2D, that is, cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and to prolong survival with a good quality of life.