Researchers recently made an intriguing finding when they compared men and women who most followed the Mediterranean diet to those who follow it least, while factoring in their exposure to air pollution. Death from all causes increased by 5 percent for every 10 parts per billion increase in long-term average nitrous oxide exposure among people who least adhered to the eating pattern, compared to only 2 percent among people who most followed the diet. Air pollution is believed to cause bad health effects through inflammation, and, as it turns out, the Mediterranean diet is really rich in foods that are anti-inflammatory. Buon appetito!