The Health Benefits of Selected Culinary Herbs and Spices Found in the Traditional Mediterranean Diet

Allyson Bower, Susan Marquez, Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest diets in the world. This is often attributed to low saturated fat consumption, moderate wine consumption, and high vegetable consumption. However, herbs and spices associated with these diets may also play an important role in the quality of this diet. This review summarizes the most recent research regarding the anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hypertensive properties of this collection of culinary species. Additionally, this review briefly summarizes studies performed on lesser known herbs from around the world, with the goal of identifying new culinary species that may be useful in the treatment or prevention of diseases.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2728-2746
Number of pages19
JournalCritical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
Volume56
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 9 2016

Keywords

  • Diabetes
  • herbs
  • hyperlipidemia
  • inflammation
  • metabolic syndrome
  • spices

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Science
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Health Benefits of Selected Culinary Herbs and Spices Found in the Traditional Mediterranean Diet'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this