The metabolic syndrome is a health situation of associated conditions, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure and impaired glucose tolerance with rapidly increasing prevalence. Results from prospective cohort studies, cross-sectional studies and clinical trials indicate that adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with beneficial effects not only regarding the metabolic syndrome, but also its individual components, in particular waist circumference, triglycerides levels, HDL-cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels and glucose metabolism.