[Are there any nutritional deficiencies in the Mediterranean Diet?].

The Mediterranean diet has been described as a model from a nutritional and sanitary point of view due to the proportion in which it includes all the food groups. Nevertheless, in the last few years changes in lifestyle have triggered a move away from the recommended intakes in relation to several nutrients. The intake of cereals and vegetables has decreased particularly, while the intake of fats and animal products has increased. The reduced energy expenditure associated with a sedentary lifestyle and the quest for beauty in the form of thinness led to a restricted energy intake. All these changes make it even more difficult to ensure adequate intakes of vitamins and minerals. The Spanish population has problems particularly with vitamins A, D, E, B2, B6 and folic acid, as well as with intake of minerals, which is below recommended values. This problem is most clearly seen in certain groups: women, the elderly, children, gestating and lactating women, ill people, smokers and those under regular medication. Knowing the extent of this reality can be the first step towards the introduction of correcting measures or to initiate campaigns to inform the consumer about the necessary changes in the diet and about the characteristics of the Mediterranean diet which are being lost and should be restored.