Background::
The Mediterranean diet, listed as the intangible cultural heritage of
humanity by UNESCO, is known as healthy and consumed worldwide. The Japanese diet is also
listed and considered healthy. This narrative review compares the Mediterranean diet with its
Japanese counterpart.
Discussion::
Research has reported that people in Mediterranean regions, such as Italy and
Greece, have one-third of the mortality ratio from cardiovascular diseases compared to people
in the United States and Northern Europe because of the difference in eating habits. Therefore,
Mediterranean diets are considered as healthy. A typical Western diet containing high amounts
of fat, sugar, and calories is responsible for several diseases like metabolic syndrome and obesity,
which are induced by chronic inflammation. In contrast, Mediterranean and Japanese diets
contain them only less. The similarity between Mediterranean and Japanese diets is the substantial
intake of vegetables, beans, and fish. On the other hand, the Mediterranean diet consumes
large amounts of olive oil, especially polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil and dairy products,
but meat consumption is relatively small. In contrast, the Japanese diet does not use oil and fat,
contains abundant fermented foods, and consumes seaweed. Japan is known for its longevity,
and people think that a well-balanced diet daily is good for preventing and curing illness. In this
regard, finding non-disease conditions, so-called “ME-BYO,” and curing them before the manifestation
of diseases is becoming more common. In this review, we discuss the healthy eating
habit, “The Mediterranean-styled Japanese diet,” which prevents ME-BYO condition and reduces
the risk of various diseases.
Conclusion::
The Mediterranean-styled Japanese diet, a hybrid of Mediterranean and Japanese
diets, reduces the risk of various diseases by suppressing chronic inflammation. This nutritional
intervention prevents ME-BYO and is beneficial for healthy longevity. Hence, a Mediterraneanstyled
Japanese diet might be helpful for healthy longevity in Japan and around the world.
