Cancer: Fan-favourite diet shown to protect DNA and lower risk by up to 48%  – even without weight loss

Scientists tracked more than 450,000 people across 10 European countries over nearly 15 years.

Even moderate adherence to the diet showed protective benefits against cancer.

Moderate adherence to the Meditterean diet offers protection against cancer

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The study, published in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), included 450,111 participants with an average age of 51.

Researchers found that people with high adherence to the Mediterranean diet had a six per cent lower risk of developing obesity-related cancers compared to those with low adherence.

The participants were followed for a median of 14.9 years, with cancer rates decreasing as diet adherence increased.

The protective effect was strongest for specific cancer types, with high Mediterranean diet adherence linked to reduced risk of colorectal cancer by eight per cent, liver cancer by 48 per cent, and kidney cancer by 33 per cent.

Medium adherence to the diet was associated with a 34 per cent lower risk of oesophagal cancer.

The benefits appeared consistent even when researchers excluded alcohol from the dietary pattern.

The Mediterranean diet includes several components that may contribute to cancer prevention, with cereals and lower meat consumption particularly beneficial.

Red and processed meats have been consistently linked to increased cancer risk.

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Mechanisms beyond weight control may be responsible for the reduced cancer risk

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Researchers believe the diet’s benefits may come from interactions among various components, creating synergistic effects beyond what individual foods provide alone.

The protective effects were particularly strong among smokers, suggesting the diet may partially offset tobacco’s cancer risks.

Despite the known link between obesity and cancer risk, the study found that the Mediterranean diet’s protective effect was independent of body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.

What’s more, researchers conducted mediation analyses which showed no significant association between these adiposity measures and the diet’s cancer-protective benefits.

This suggests other mechanisms beyond weight control may be responsible for the reduced cancer risk.