ROME -- Tucked among the narrow Roman streets of the old city are hundreds of restaurants, none of which tout a low-carb menu. Pasta is king here, along with fresh breads, fresh vegetables, fresh fish, legumes, wonderful cheese, olive oil and only the occasional slice of red meat.

	Online Graphic: See a graphic that depicts the traditional Mediterranean food pyramid.

Italians have thrived on this traditional Mediterranean diet for generations. Mention Dr. Atkins and other American weight-loss fads and the response is an Italian shrug. The 120 scientists and food lovers who gathered this week from around the globe sought to emphasize that point with science.

The traditional Mediterranean diet has stood the test of time, they say. Dr. Atkins and the low-carb diet craze that have swept the United States are great unknowns with little hard science to prove long-term effectiveness or risks. Studies have shown the Mediterranean diet can fight cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

"The Mediterranean diet is the gold standard," said K. Dun Gifford, founder and president of the Boston-based Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust. The not-for-profit organization sponsored the conference and espouses diets based on fresh foods produced in sustainable ways.

Because pasta gets a bad rap in the popular low-carb diets, this gathering, underwritten by pasta makers such as Barilla, is an obvious attempt to fight back. Pasta sales have dropped 5 percent in America and low-carb products with the Atkins insignia have flooded the market.

But the conclusions coming out of the conference reach beyond particulars to emphasize the mix of foods that define Mediterranean eating. Together, they combine into meals with a low glycemic index, an important factor in satisfying a person's hunger and controlling weight.

A food with a high glycemic index moves through the bloodstream rapidly, giving a person what's colloquially known as a sugar high: but soon leaving him or her hungry again. This can contribute to overeating.

The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid turns parts of the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid on its ear. Just as in the USDA pyramid, the "good foods" are at the bottom of the Mediterranean pyramid, which was developed a decade ago by Oldways. But the emphasis is shifted away from whole grains to those carbohydrates with low glycemic indices.

Pasta, a complex carbohydrate, by its nature has a low glycemic index, especially as compared to highly processed, simple carbohydrate foods such as soda, chips, candy and white bread. Also receiving favored status in the "eat daily" category were fruits, vegetables and other low-glycemic index foods, including legumes, such as dried beans and peas.

In the Mediterranean diet, fish and poultry come next. And in contrast to the high-protein Atkins diet, which critics at the conference called "crazy" because it eliminates a whole group of food, meat should be eaten only occasionally -- perhaps once a month.

For the Romans, fresh fruit finds favor as a dessert. Other sweets, though, are right up there with eggs in the "weekly" part of the Mediterranean pyramid. Regular exercise, at least an hour a day, is the basis of the pyramid, according to Dr. John Foreyt of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.