The ever-evolving role of diet in health: Perspective from an eternal optimist

Conflicting results on how diet and nutrients affect health have become part of the nutrition research landscape. For example, the scientific community finds itself in a raging controversy regarding the ill (or not so ill) effects of saturated fat. Maybe it does not have to be so overly complicated. In this presentation, the importance of considering whole diets as opposed to single nutrients or foods will be discussed. The extent to which weight loss is an inescapable target in strategies to improve population will be challenged. The example of the Mediterranean diet will be used, with focus not only on its clinical benefits but also on its cardiometabolic and physiological properties. As they say in the business arena, the consumer is always right. Well, consumers are confused right now regarding healthy eating. Perhaps as researchers we ought to pay a little more attention to their concerns…