The Mediterranean diet has the strongest evidence base of any diet

The PREDIMED trial — a randomised controlled study of nearly 7,500 people at high cardiovascular risk in Spain — found that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts reduced major cardiovascular events by about 30% compared with a low-fat diet. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013, it is one of the largest dietary intervention trials ever conducted. The Mediterranean diet emphasises vegetables, legumes, fish, whole grains, olive oil, and moderate red wine, while limiting red meat and ultra-processed foods.

Source: Estruch et al., NEJM (2013)