Once again, the Mediterranean diet appears to be a major player in possibly reducing the risk of breast cancer returning.

A study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) held in Chicago, followed 307 women who had had early-stage breast cancer but were in remission, placing them on either a normal diet – 199 women - or a Mediterranean diet – 108 women.

The research conducted in Italy at Placenza Hospital tracked the women for three years and found that 11 of the women following the normal diet relapsed while none of the women following the Mediterranean diet relapsed. 

A couple of drawback to the study though is the small number of participants and the limited length of the research. 

“The preliminary results of this small study suggest that a Mediterranean diet could lower the risk of breast cancer returning,” stated Professor Amie Purushotham, Cancer Research UK’s senior clinical adviser. “We’d need much longer follow-up than three years to confirm the diet’s impact.”

A larger recent study published in 2015 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine involving over 4,000 women found similar results.  Women who followed the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin oil appeared to have a 68% reduced risk of breast cancer.

Addressing lifestyle interventions on reducing recurrence in survivors of breast cancer is extremely important.  Breast cancer survivors want answers on knowing how to decrease the chance of it coming back. Studies are showing more and more significance of how dietary habits appear to have an impact on breast cancer survival rates.

It’s appearing that the Mediterranean diet may be one of those answers. The Mediterranean diet refers to the origins of the diet and is a mix of dietary food ingredients shown to promote health and long life in the general population.  It is a way of healthy eating each and every day over the long term.  Some of the components involved in following the Mediterranean diet include:

·         Increasing intake of vegetables, peas, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, and whole grains.

·         Limiting red meat and choosing more fish and poultry.

·         Using extra virgin olive oil in cooking in place of butter or lard

·         Limiting intake of ‘fast foods’ containing too much salt and saturated fat.

It is already well-known of the heart health promoting properties of following a Mediterranean style diet.  As more and more research like the one from Italy repeats the same positive results, this may become a recommended eating and lifestyle change endorsed by doctors to lessen the likelihood of a breast cancer relapse.