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The Mediterranean Diet in Italy: The Role of Leafy Greens College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Global Food and Agriculture Leadership Program 2010 Vivian Bernau 1 , Sam Bird 2 , Emma Flemmig 1 and Emily Zimmerman 2 1 Undergraduate in Agronomy and 2 Jndergraduate in Global Resource Systems Abstract Over the last half‐century, there have been significant changes in diet and food consumpMon paNerns in Mediterranean Europe. There is concern that these changes threaten the health and lifestyle benefits derived from tradiMonal Mediterranean diets. Our project invesMgated this concern by targeMng Italy, and a key food in the Mediterranean diet, leafy green vegetables, to ask the following quesMons: 1) What is the role of leafy greens in the Italian Mediterranean diet?; 2) What are the trends in usage and producMon of these products in Italy?; 3) What trends in consumer purchases are market vendors seeing?; and, 4) Can we conclude that diets are, in fact, changing, and if so, what are the consequences? AddiMonally, we speculated on drivers that pose answers to why these changes have occurred and we make recommendaMons for future research. To carry out this project, we interviewed experts in biodiversity, nutriMon, diet and culture and, with the help of interpreters, interviewed vendors in several wet markets in Rome. We gathered secondary data from journal arMcles and published staMsMcs. Our conclusion was that the tradiMonal Mediterranean diet, first idenMfied in research on poor populaMons in Crete, and in Naples and Sardinia, is being altered for the worse due to economic development and changes in lifestyle, paNerns of food acquisiMon and consumpMon, and educaMon. Changes will need to take place to alter this trend, and we make recommendaMons to promote a renewed understanding of the roles health and diversity play in the Mediterranean diet. Research QuesMon Using leafy greens as an example, how do changes in the biodiversity of foods affect diet, culinary diversity, nutriMon, and health in Italy.? Results The Mediterranean Diet is associated with health benefits, but varies naMonally and regionally. It was originally defined as the dietary habits of some olive‐growing areas in the early 1960s. 1 A 1948 study of the diet in Crete revealed that the nutriMon of the impoverished island was surprisingly good and inhabitants had very few health problems; however only one in six families were saMsfied with their food consumpMon. 2 Figures 1 and 2. Changes in vegetable consumpMon in Italy between 1990 and 1996. 3 o Leafy greens are an important part of the Mediterranean Diet, strongly associated with health benefits, and are strongly linked with Italian culture. o Leafy greens have been found to contain flavonoids, polyphenols and phytosterols which have a large anMoxidant capacity, they reduce inflammaMon, and are associated with a reducMon in LDL cholesterol. 4 o Research revealing different levels of phenolics in different cabbage culMvars reinforces the need for preservaMon of biodiversity. 5 o Both domesMcated and wild species of leafy greens are used throughout Italy for medicinal and alimentary purposes. However, people are rapidly losing the knowledge base to use all of the wild greens as the older generaMon passes away without passing on their knowledge. o Vendors interviewed reported declines in sales, especially for vegetables that require preparaMon. • Campo de Fiori and Testaccio vendors are feeling the pressure to do more preparaMon of produce to compete with grocery stores. • San Paolo vendors are building relaMonships with their customers by giving recommendaMons for preparaMon and taking suggesMons from customers. Figures 3 and 4. ConsumpMon of leNuces and chicories increases steadily, as the consumpMon of cabbages and brassicas decreases. 6 o Over the last 20 years, Italy’s GDP has increased steadily from about 8,000 to 29,000. Lifestyle changes have accompanied this increasing GDP including a lack of exercise, a 5% increase in out of home eaMng between 1988 and 2000, and a larger demand for processed and frozen foods. 7, 8 o Between 1971 and 1991, the number of women in the workplace increased by 50%. 9 RecommendaMons With respect to health: o ConMnue with programs such as Cultura che Nutre to educate school children and families in adopMng an ‘informed and healthy diet.’ 10 o IdenMfy the role government, private sector, and non‐profit organizaMons can and should play in the alteraMon of current dietary trends. o Analyze nutriMonal benefits of the individual components of the Mediterranean Diet as well as the synergisMc effect of the diet as a whole. With respect to germplasm: o Determine a definiMve definiMon of leafy greens. o Determine what geneMc diversity is preserved ex situ and in situ. o The translaMon of resources on in situ and ex situ preservaMon into a common language would facilitate further research. With respect to understanding the role of the market: o Complete a broader selecMon of interviews including: larger sample of markets in Rome, suburban markets, wholesale markets including Fondi and the General Roman Market, and similar studies across Italy and the Mediterranean. o IdenMfy the role of other food outlets, such as supermarkets. o Interviews with wild greens gatherers and consumers would also provide an interesMng perspecMve. IntroducMon Significant changes in the diets and food consumpMon paNerns of Mediterranean Europe and Italy threaten the benefits derived from tradiMonal Mediterranean diets, documented in the work of Leland Allbaugh, Ancel Keys, and others. We emphasized changes in the consumpMon of green leafy vegetables because of leafy greens’ relevance to biodiversity, culture and health. 1 Garcia-Closas, R. Berenguer, A. Gonzalez, CA. 2003. Changes in food supply in Mediterranean countries from 1961 to 2001. Public Health Journal: 9(1), 53-60. 2005 2 Nestle, M. 1995. Mediterranean diets: historical and research overview. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: 61(suppl), 1313S-20S. 3 Data Food Networking. 2005. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. <www.nut.uoa.gr/dafnesoftweb> 4 Spina , M. Cuccioloni, M. Sparapani, L. Acciarri, S. Eleuteri, A.M. Fioretti, E. and M. Angeletti,. "Comparative evaluation of flavonoid content in assessing quality of wild and cultivated vegetables for human consumption." Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 88 (2008): 294-304. 5 Singh, J. , Upadhyay A.K., Prasad, K., Bahadur, A., and M. Rai. 2007. Variability of carotenes, vitamin C, E and phenolics in Brassica vegetables. “Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.” 20.2: 106-112 6 FAOSTAT. Production – Crops (1961-2007). <http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/default.aspx#ancor>. Accessed 24 May 2010. 7 Italy GDP – per capita (PPP). 2009 World Economic Outlook. International Monetary Fund. http:// www.indexmundi.com/italy/gdp_per_capita_%28ppp%29.html 8 Turrini, A., S. Barcherini, and S. Martines. 1999. Trends in food availability in Italy – the DAFNE III project. Health & Consumer Protection Directorate General. 9 SEGREGAT-Employment for detailed occupational groups by sex. 2000. UN LABOURSTA. http://laborsta.ilo.org/ STP 10 Morgan, K. and R. Sonnino. 2008. The school food revolution: Public food and the challenge of sustainable development. Earthscan. Sterling, VA. p 65. 11 Dernini, Sandro, PhD. Forum on Mediterranean Diet Food Cultures. Personal Communication. Methodology o Four‐week study abroad program o Research and annotaMon of secondary sources o Personal communicaMon with experts o Interviews with vendors and producers in Rome markets o Data synthesized into an oral presentaMon, a paper, and an annotated bibliography 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 600000 700000 800000 900000 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 Tonnes Year Imports Exports EsMmated total consumpMon 0 200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 Tonnes Year Imports Exports EsMmated Total ConsumpMon Figure 5. Modified Mediterranean diet food pyramid 11 Bioversity International

The Mediterranean Diet in Italy: The Role of Leafy Greens

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Page 1: The Mediterranean Diet in Italy: The Role of Leafy Greens

The Mediterranean Diet in Italy: The Role of Leafy Greens

CollegeofAgricultureandLifeSciencesDean’sGlobalFoodandAgricultureLeadershipProgram2010

VivianBernau1,SamBird2,EmmaFlemmig1andEmilyZimmerman21UndergraduateinAgronomyand2JndergraduateinGlobalResourceSystems

AbstractOverthelasthalf‐century,therehavebeensignificantchangesindietandfoodconsumpMonpaNernsinMediterraneanEurope.ThereisconcernthatthesechangesthreatenthehealthandlifestylebenefitsderivedfromtradiMonalMediterraneandiets.OurprojectinvesMgatedthisconcernbytargeMngItaly,andakeyfoodintheMediterraneandiet,leafygreenvegetables,toaskthefollowingquesMons:1)WhatistheroleofleafygreensintheItalianMediterraneandiet?;2)WhatarethetrendsinusageandproducMonoftheseproductsinItaly?;3)Whattrendsinconsumerpurchasesaremarketvendorsseeing?;and,4)Canweconcludethatdietsare,infact,changing,andifso,whataretheconsequences?AddiMonally,wespeculatedondriversthatposeanswerstowhythesechangeshaveoccurredandwemakerecommendaMonsforfutureresearch.Tocarryoutthisproject,weinterviewedexpertsinbiodiversity,nutriMon,dietandcultureand,withthehelpofinterpreters,interviewedvendorsinseveralwetmarketsinRome.WegatheredsecondarydatafromjournalarMclesandpublishedstaMsMcs.OurconclusionwasthatthetradiMonalMediterraneandiet,firstidenMfiedinresearchonpoorpopulaMonsinCrete,andinNaplesandSardinia,isbeingalteredfortheworseduetoeconomicdevelopmentandchangesinlifestyle,paNernsoffoodacquisiMonandconsumpMon,andeducaMon.Changeswillneedtotakeplacetoalterthistrend,andwemakerecommendaMonstopromotearenewedunderstandingoftheroleshealthanddiversityplayintheMediterraneandiet.

ResearchQuesMonUsingleafygreensasanexample,howdochangesinthebiodiversityoffoodsaffectdiet,culinarydiversity,nutriMon,andhealthinItaly.?

ResultsTheMediterraneanDietisassociatedwithhealthbenefits,butvariesnaMonallyandregionally.Itwasoriginallydefinedasthedietaryhabitsofsomeolive‐growingareasintheearly1960s.1A1948studyofthedietinCreterevealedthatthenutriMonoftheimpoverishedislandwassurprisinglygoodandinhabitantshadveryfewhealthproblems;howeveronlyoneinsixfamiliesweresaMsfiedwiththeirfoodconsumpMon.2

Figures1and2.ChangesinvegetableconsumpMoninItalybetween1990and1996.3

o  LeafygreensareanimportantpartoftheMediterraneanDiet,stronglyassociatedwithhealthbenefits,andarestronglylinkedwithItalianculture.

o  Leafygreenshavebeenfoundtocontainflavonoids,polyphenolsandphytosterolswhichhavealargeanMoxidantcapacity,theyreduceinflammaMon,andareassociatedwithareducMoninLDLcholesterol.4

o  ResearchrevealingdifferentlevelsofphenolicsindifferentcabbageculMvarsreinforcestheneedforpreservaMonofbiodiversity.5

o  BothdomesMcatedandwildspeciesofleafygreensareusedthroughoutItalyformedicinalandalimentarypurposes.However,peoplearerapidlylosingtheknowledgebasetouseallofthewildgreensastheoldergeneraMonpassesawaywithoutpassingontheirknowledge.

o  Vendorsinterviewedreporteddeclinesinsales,especiallyforvegetablesthatrequirepreparaMon.

•  CampodeFioriandTestacciovendorsarefeelingthepressuretodomorepreparaMonofproducetocompetewithgrocerystores.

•  SanPaolovendorsarebuildingrelaMonshipswiththeircustomersbygivingrecommendaMonsforpreparaMonandtakingsuggesMonsfromcustomers.

Figures3and4.ConsumpMonofleNucesandchicoriesincreasessteadily,astheconsumpMonofcabbagesandbrassicasdecreases.6

o  Overthelast20years,Italy’sGDPhasincreasedsteadilyfromabout8,000to29,000.LifestylechangeshaveaccompaniedthisincreasingGDPincludingalackofexercise,a5%increaseinoutofhomeeaMngbetween1988and2000,andalargerdemandforprocessedandfrozenfoods.7,8

o  Between1971and1991,thenumberofwomenintheworkplaceincreasedby50%.9

RecommendaMonsWithrespecttohealth:o  ConMnuewithprogramssuchasCulturacheNutretoeducateschoolchildrenand

familiesinadopMngan‘informedandhealthydiet.’10o  IdenMfytherolegovernment,privatesector,andnon‐profitorganizaMonscanand

shouldplayinthealteraMonofcurrentdietarytrends.o  AnalyzenutriMonalbenefitsoftheindividualcomponentsoftheMediterranean

DietaswellasthesynergisMceffectofthedietasawhole.

Withrespecttogermplasm:o  DetermineadefiniMvedefiniMonofleafygreens.o  DeterminewhatgeneMcdiversityispreservedexsituandinsitu.o  ThetranslaMonofresourcesoninsituandexsitupreservaMonintoacommon

languagewouldfacilitatefurtherresearch.

Withrespecttounderstandingtheroleofthemarket:o  Complete abroaderselecMonofinterviewsincluding:largersampleofmarketsin

Rome,suburbanmarkets,wholesalemarketsincludingFondiandtheGeneralRomanMarket,andsimilarstudiesacrossItalyandtheMediterranean.

o  IdenMfytheroleofotherfoodoutlets,suchassupermarkets.o  Interviewswithwildgreensgatherersandconsumerswouldalsoprovidean

interesMngperspecMve.

IntroducMonSignificantchangesinthedietsandfoodconsumpMonpaNernsofMediterraneanEuropeandItalythreatenthebenefitsderivedfromtradiMonalMediterraneandiets,documentedintheworkofLelandAllbaugh,AncelKeys,andothers.WeemphasizedchangesintheconsumpMonofgreenleafyvegetablesbecauseofleafygreens’relevancetobiodiversity,cultureandhealth.

1Garcia-Closas, R. Berenguer, A. Gonzalez, CA. 2003. Changes in food supply in Mediterranean countries from 1961 to 2001. Public Health Journal: 9(1), 53-60. 2005

2Nestle, M. 1995. Mediterranean diets: historical and research overview. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: 61(suppl), 1313S-20S.

3Data Food Networking. 2005. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. <www.nut.uoa.gr/dafnesoftweb>

4Spina , M. Cuccioloni, M. Sparapani, L. Acciarri, S. Eleuteri, A.M. Fioretti, E. and M. Angeletti,. "Comparative evaluation of flavonoid content in assessing quality of wild and cultivated vegetables for human consumption." Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 88 (2008): 294-304.

5Singh, J. , Upadhyay A.K., Prasad, K., Bahadur, A., and M. Rai. 2007. Variability of carotenes, vitamin C, E and phenolics in Brassica vegetables. “Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.” 20.2: 106-112

6FAOSTAT. Production – Crops (1961-2007). <http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/default.aspx#ancor>. Accessed 24 May 2010.

7Italy GDP – per capita (PPP). 2009 World Economic Outlook. International Monetary Fund. http://www.indexmundi.com/italy/gdp_per_capita_%28ppp%29.html

8Turrini, A., S. Barcherini, and S. Martines. 1999. Trends in food availability in Italy – the DAFNE III project. Health & Consumer Protection Directorate General.

9SEGREGAT-Employment for detailed occupational groups by sex. 2000. UN LABOURSTA. http://laborsta.ilo.org/STP

10Morgan, K. and R. Sonnino. 2008. The school food revolution: Public food and the challenge of sustainable development. Earthscan. Sterling, VA. p 65.

11Dernini, Sandro, PhD. Forum on Mediterranean Diet Food Cultures. Personal Communication.

Methodologyo  Four‐weekstudyabroadprogramo  ResearchandannotaMonofsecondarysourceso  PersonalcommunicaMonwithexpertso  InterviewswithvendorsandproducersinRomemarketso  DatasynthesizedintoanoralpresentaMon,apaper,andanannotatedbibliography

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Figure5.ModifiedMediterraneandietfoodpyramid11

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