Did the PREDIMED trial test a Mediterranean diet?

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend healthy dietary patterns — specifically, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and Mediterranean-style diets.1 A persuasive body of evidence from observational studies has documented that Mediterranean-style diets are associated with a substantially reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.2 Mediterranean diets are not a single dietary pattern, but they do have common features — an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, breads, unrefined grains, and olive oil (but not necessarily extra-virgin olive oil); inclusion of fish and wine; and minimal intake of meats and full-fat dairy products.3 Such diets are rich in total, monounsaturated, . . .