Adopting a Mediterranean diet could reduce the risk of cancer by 12%.

Adopting just two aspects of a Mediterranean diet can cut the risk of developing cancer by 12%, according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer today (2 July).

The study, which monitored the eating habits of over 26,000 Greek men and women over a period of eight years, found that simply switching to olive oil could reduce the risk by 9%.

Most importantly, lower risk wasn’t only achieved by completely adopting a Mediterranean diet, but by closer conformity to it – meaning something as simple as eating more peas, beans and lentils and less meat could have an effect.

The more Mediterranean the diet, however, the more substantial the health benefits were found to be.

Lead Author, Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos, Professor of Cancer Prevention and Epidemiology at Harvard University, commented on the findings: “Our results show just how important diet is in cancer risk… Although eating more of one food group alone didn’t significantly change a person’s risk of cancer, adjusting one’s overall dietary habits towards the traditional Mediterranean pattern had an important effect.”

Cancer Research UK’s Director of Health Information, Sara Hiom, added: “This research highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy balanced diet to reduce your risk of cancer. It shows that there are a number of things you can do, and that there is no one ‘superfood’ that can stop you developing the disease.”

The research was conducted as a part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a unique study of dietary habits and other biological and lifestyle characteristics of more than half a million people in Europe before a diagnosis of cancer and other chronic diseases.

It can be read in full in today’s edition of the British Journal of Cancer. For more information, visit: www.nature.com/bjc

By Natasha Piscitelli