The Mediterranean diet (MD), rich in minimally processed plant foods and in monounsaturated fats but low in saturated fats, meat, and dairy products, represents one of the most studied diets for cardiovascular health. It has been shown, from both observational and randomized controlled trials, that MD reduces body weight, improves cardiovascular disease surrogates such as waist-to-hip ratios, lipids, and inflammation markers, and even prevents the development of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and other diseases. However, it is unclear whether it offers cardiovascular benefits from its individual components or as a whole. Furthermore, limitations in the methodology of studies and meta-analyses have raised some concerns over its potential cardiovascular benefits. MD is also associated with characteristic changes in the intestinal microbiota, mediated through its constituents. These include increased growth of species producing short-chain fatty acids, such as Clostridium leptum and Eubacterium rectale, increased growth of Bifidobacteria, Bacteroides, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species, and reduced growth of Firmicutes and Blautia species. Such changes are known to be favorably associated with inflammation, oxidative status, and overall metabolic health. This review will focus on the effects of MD on cardiovascular health through its action on gut microbiota.

Toxic and essential metals content was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in commercial sea urchins samples from the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Results show that Chilean samples have the highest values of Cd, As, Ni, Cr and V; Spanish samples have the maximum Hg content while Sicilian samples have the lowest content of toxic metals. The toxic metal traces were compared with the limits of European Community (EC) No. 1881/2006 for bivalve molluscs. All samples exceed Pb and Cd limit levels; regarding Hg levels, only Sicilian and Sardinian samples have Hg content below the EC limits. The dietary intake of toxic and essential elements was evaluated for an adult. Furthermore, our study highlights a correlation between the toxic elements content and the marine environmental conditions of the places of origin even though only the generic FAO fishing area is specified.