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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Introduction: Mediterranean diets (MedDiets) are linked to substantial health benefits. However, there is also growing evidence that the intensification of food production over the last 60 years has resulted in nutritionally relevant changes in the composition of foods that may augment the health benefits of MedDiets. Objective: To synthesize, summarize, and critically evaluate the currently available evidence for changes in food composition resulting from agricultural intensification practices and their potential impact on the health benefits of MedDiets. Methods: We summarized/synthesized information from (i) systematic literature reviews/meta-analyses and more recently published articles on composition differences between conventional and organic foods, (ii) desk studies which compared food composition data from before and after agricultural intensification, (iii) recent retail and farm surveys and/or factorial field experiments that identified specific agronomic practices responsible for nutritionally relevant changes in food composition, and (iv) a recent systematic literature review and a small number of subsequently published observational and dietary intervention studies that investigated the potential health impacts of changes in food composition resulting from agricultural intensification. Results and Discussion: There has been growing evidence that the intensification of food production has resulted in (i) lower concentrations of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g., phenolics, certain vitamins, mineral micronutrients including Se, Zn, and omega-3 fatty acids, α-tocopherol) and/or (ii) higher concentrations of nutritionally undesirable or toxic compounds (pesticide residues, cadmium, omega-6 fatty acids) in many of the foods (including wholegrain cereals, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, dairy products and meat from small ruminants, and fish) that are thought to contribute to the health benefits associated with MedDiets. The evidence for negative health impacts of consuming foods from intensified conventional production systems has also increased but is still limited and based primarily on evidence from observational studies. Limitations and gaps in the current evidence base are discussed. Conclusions: There is now substantial evidence that the intensification of agricultural food production has resulted in a decline in the nutritional quality of many of the foods that are recognized to contribute to the positive health impacts associated with adhering to traditional MedDiets. Further research is needed to quantify to what extent this decline augments the positive health impacts of adhering to a traditional MedDiet.

Details

Title
Effects of Agricultural Intensification on Mediterranean Diets: A Narrative Review
Author
Gultekin Hasanaliyeva 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Enas Khalid Sufar 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Wang, Juan 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Rempelos, Leonidas 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Volakakis, Nikolaos 5 ; Iversen, Per Ole 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Leifert, Carlo 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Brackenhurst Campus, Nottingham Trent University, Nottinghamshire NG25 0QF, UK; Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK; [email protected] (E.K.S.); 
 Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK; [email protected] (E.K.S.); 
 Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK; [email protected] (E.K.S.); ; Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China 
 Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK; [email protected] (E.K.S.); ; Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN2 2LG, UK 
 Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK; [email protected] (E.K.S.); ; Geokomi Plc, P.O. Box 21, GR70200 Sivas Festos, Greece 
 Department of Nutrition, IMB, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway; Department of Haematology, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway 
 Department of Nutrition, IMB, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway; SCU Plant Science, Southern Cross University, Military Rd., Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia 
First page
3779
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
23048158
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2882573184
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.