Researchers say that children of women who eat a Mediterranean style diet during pregnancy are far less likely to develop asthma or allergies later in life.

If you adopt a Mediterranean diet and become as physically active as US national recommendations advise, over a 5-year period your chances of dying will be significantly lower, according to two reports in Archives of Internal Medicine (JAMA/Archives), December 10/24 issue.

One more reason to consume Mediterranean-style diet. Apart from helping the heart, the high-fruit, low-red-meat diet can also improve sexual function in women with the metabolic syndrome, an Italian study says.

Those who regularly eat a Mediterranean-style diet rich in olive oil, vegetables and light cheese are halving their risk of dying from heart disease, research shows.The benefits of the diet are well documented in Greece and Italy but a newly released Melbourne study has confirmed the same benefits can be reaped in Australia.

A study published in the journal Thorax (abstract free, full study premium) found that children who eat a Mediterranean-style diet had a reduced risk of seasonal allergies (rhinitis and wheezing) and asthma.

The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional model originally inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of some of the countries of the Mediterranean Basin, particularly Greece and Southern Italy.Common to the traditional diets of these regions are a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread, wheat and other cereals, olive oil, olive leaf, fish, and red wine. The diet is often cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber.Although it was first publicized in 1945 by the American doctor Ancel Keys stationed in Salerno, Italy, the Mediterranean diet failed to gain widespread recognition until the 1990s. It is based on what from the point of view of mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Mediterranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found.One of the main explanations is thought to be the large amount of olive oil used in the Mediterranean diet. Unlike the high amount of animal fats typical to the American diet, olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Research indicates olive oil prevents peptic ulcers and is effective in treatment of peptic ulcer disease, and may be a factor in preventing cancer. In addition, the consumption of red wine is considered a possible factor, as it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by these cultures. Genetics, lifestyle (notably heavy physical labor), and environment may also be involved.Concerns remain whether the diet provides adequate amounts of all nutrients, particularly calcium and iron. Nonetheless, green vegetables, a good source of calcium and iron, are used in the Mediterranean diet as well as goat cheese, a good source of calcium.