A healthy diet, based on Mediterranean foods, could help a woman halve her risk of developing cancer of the lining of the womb, researchers report today.
Although diets vary around the Mediterranean region, the term has been used for a lifestyle rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, pulses, cereals and olive oil.
The Italian study also included moderate alcohol intake and small amounts of meat and dairy products as part of the diet.
Researchers studied more than 5,000 Italian women. They found that women who ate at least seven of the food groups included in the diet enjoyed a 57% reduced risk of developing cancer.
Women who had no more than five of the food groups had no change in cancer risk, the researchers report in the British Journal of Cancer.
Researcher Dr Cristina Bosetti, from the IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche, said: “Our research shows the impact a healthy balanced diet could have on a woman’s risk of developing womb cancer.
"This adds more weight to our understanding of how our every day choices, like what we eat and how active we are, affect our risk of cancer.”
Cancer Research UK said the findings needed more research as they were based on women correctly recalling what they ate.
Dr Julie Sharp, from the charity, said: “Cancer risk is affected by our age and our genes but a healthy lifestyle can also play a part in reducing the risk of some cancers. Not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, being active, eating healthily and cutting down on alcohol helps to stack the odds in your favour.”
Filomeno et al. Mediterranean diet and risk of endometrial cancer: a pooled analysis of three Italian case-control studies. British Journal of Cancer 27 May 2015; doi: 10.1038/bjc.2015.153
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