Mediterranean diet halves risk of endometrial cancer

29 maggio 2015

2 min di lettura

(AGI) Milan, May 29 - Women who follow a Mediterranean dietreduced their risk of endometrial (uterine corpus) cancer byover 50 percent according to a study funded by the ItalianFoundation for Cancer Research (FIRC) and published in theBritish Journal of Cancer. A group of researchers from theIRCCS - Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research inpartnership with the University of Milan, the OncologicalReferral Centre of Aviano, the National Cancer Institute ofNaples and the University of Lausanne, assessed more than 5,000Italian women for the relationship between adherence to theMediterranean diet and the risk of developing endometrialcancer. Nine dietary components were considered in calculatingadherence to the Mediterranean diet: vegetables and fruits,legumes, cereals and potatoes, fish and polyunsaturated fats,in which the Mediterranean diet is rich; meat and milk anddairy products in which the Mediterranean diet is poor; andalcohol whose consumption is typically moderate. Women who hada higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduced their riskof endometrial cancer by 57 percent compared to those who had alow adherence. Increasing adherence to the Mediterranean dietincreased protection against endometrial cancer, suggesting acausal relationship. It is believed that the antitumour effectsof this diet derive from its high antioxidant, fibre andpolyunsaturated fat content. "Our research in this field showsthat for us Italians, adhering to a Mediterranean style dietcan reduce the risk not only of developing endometrial cancer,as shown by this research, but also the risk of cancers of theoral cavity, stomach, liver and pancreas, as well as diminishthe risk of myocardial infarction, as we have already seen insimilar studies," said Alessandra Tavani, from the Departmentof Epidemiology of IRCCS - Mario Negri Institute forPharmacological Research, a senior author of the study. (AGI) . .