Mediterranean diet linked to lower mortality rate in cancer survivors, study finds

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Researchers have found that following a Mediterranean diet, known for being high in vegetables and whole grains and low in sugar and salt, may reduce the risk of death among cancer survivors.

This study JACC Cardio-Oncology.

Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

So-called “Blue Zones,” where people live into old age, include Mediterranean coastal regions such as Greece and the Italian island of Sardinia, where many people live beyond 80 years of age, and their longevity is largely due to lifestyle factors such as a whole-foods diet, physical activity and low stress.

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with many health benefits, including a lower overall mortality rate. The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and extra virgin olive oil, and limits the intake of red meat, sweets, and butter.

One study One study found that in women, MD was associated with a 23% reduced risk of all-cause mortality, while another study found that adherence to MD was associated with reduced all-cause mortality as well as cancer mortality.

However, data on the effect of the Mediterranean diet on cancer are limited. SurvivorThis is worth investigating, as the number of cancer survivors is expected to increase in the coming decades as treatments become increasingly effective.

“The beneficial role of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of several tumors is well known in the literature.” explanation Maria Laura Bonaccio“However, little is known about what potential benefits this dietary model could offer people who have already been diagnosed with cancer,” said study first author and postdoctoral researcher at IRCCS Neuromed.

MD is associated with reduced mortality

Researchers in the new study used data from Italy to investigate whether a traditional Mediterranean diet influences mortality in cancer survivors. Mori-san The study is one of the largest population cohorts in Europe.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 800 men and women who had already been diagnosed with cancer. The subjects were followed for 13 years and provided detailed information about their dietary intake for the year before joining the study. On average, their diet was assessed 8.8 years after their cancer diagnosis.

Participants were given an MD score (MDS) based on their adherence to the MD, with a maximum score of 9 and a participant average of 4.4. Higher MDS indicated higher socioeconomic status and physical activity.

A total of 248 all-cause deaths were reported during the study period, including 59 from cardiovascular disease and 140 from cancer. The researchers found that for every 2-point increase in MDS, there was a 16% reduction in all-cause mortality. Higher adherence to traditional MD was independently associated with a “significant reduction” in all-cause mortality among other cancer survivors.

“Our findings suggest that people with cancer who reported strict adherence to a Mediterranean diet had a 32% lower risk of death compared with participants who did not adhere to the Mediterranean diet.” explanation “The most notable difference was a 60 percent reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease,” Bonaccio said.

However, due to the nature of this observational study, we cannot infer causation, only find associations. Furthermore, we did not conduct repeated dietary assessments, so we cannot take into account dietary changes over time, and participants had already survived an average of nine years at baseline, which may introduce survivorship bias.

“These data support the intriguing hypothesis that different chronic diseases, such as tumors and heart disease, actually share the same molecular mechanisms.” Said Maria Benedetta Donati“This is known in the literature as the 'common ground' – the common ground from which these two disease groups originate,” said Dr McGillie, Principal Investigator at IRCCS Neuromed.

reference: Bonaccio M, Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, et al. “Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced total and cardiovascular mortality in long-term cancer survivors.” JACC: Cardio-Oncology. 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccao.2024.05.012

This article is press release Published by IRCCS Neuromed. Materials have been edited for length and content.