Mediterranean Diet Against Depression

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Individuals who follow the Mediterranean dietary pattern -rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish- appear less likely to develop depression, according to a report in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, under the title “Association of the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern With the Incidence of Depression.” Spanish researchers studied 11,000 people and found that those who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely had a more than 30% reduction in the risk of depression than those whose diet had few of the crucial Mediterranean elements.  According to the research, the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders has been found to be lower in Mediterranean than Northern European countries.  One plausible explanation is that the diet commonly followed in the region – and especially the use of olive oil- may be protective against depression.  BBC News: Med-style diet battles ‘blues’

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Ilias Wrazas i Isidoros Papadakis Koncert

Rebetika: The Greek Blues

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   British music journalist Peter Paphides writes about the music of rebetika, “the Greek blues” in the Times (UK). Rembetika as a genre has often been compared to the American blues, due to its underground roots and its themes of exile, loss of family, substance abuse, unrequited love, imprisonment and death. Paphides makes special mention to legendary rebetika musician Markos Vamvakaris, “the Robert Johnson of rebetika, with a back story just as mythical as Johnson’s crossroads encounter with the Devil” and to famous composer Manos Hadjidakis. Hadjidakis assimilated rebetika melodies and lyrics into his own music, setting about to create a music “that Greece could call its own, using rebetika, traditional rural folk songs and Byzantine influences.  Times Online: Rebetika – I guess that’s why they call it the Greek bluesWorld Media on Greece – Culture and Education ; Secretariat General of Information: