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The Mediterranean diet wins at more than just one category. So far, studies have proved that it’s among the most popular and healthiest diet around the world. New research, however, also awards it with the ability of saving people’s lives.
According to scientists, following a diet low in saturated fat and sugar is linked with reducing the risk of developing endometrial cancer by more than 50 percent.
This type of cancer affects the uterus, and is the third leading cause of death in women’s cancers, after cervical and ovarian cancer. Endometrial cancer is especially prevalent in developed countries where rates of obesity have reached highest levels.
According to the article published in the British Journal of Cancer, people suffering from this type of cancer can benefit greatly from a diet based on foods containing lots of antioxidants, fibers, and unsaturated fatty acids.
Senior author Dr. Cristina Bosetti from the IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche in Italy explains that this research has helped the medical community understand even better how a healthy balanced diet could affect a woman’s risk of developing uterus cancer.
There are other everyday choices besides our dietary preferences which factor in when it comes to cancer risk, such as choosing physical activity and renouncing the sedentary life.
Many previous studies on the Mediterranean diet proved its benefits, and not just for the fair sex. At the end of 2014, many medical and lifestyle research articles were published linking this diet with slower aging or reduced risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
As a matter of fact, Medical News Today has published this week an article about a study proving that senior citizens can improve cognitive function by following the diet with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil or nuts.
For the current study, more than 5,000 women from Switzerland and Italy took part in the experiment. Researchers combined new data with three other previous studies conducted between 1983 and 2006.
Participating women had to monitor their daily intake of food by dividing the diet in 9 different categories: fruits and nuts, legumes, vegetables, cereals and potatoes, dairy products, meat, moderate intake of alcohol, fish, and monounsaturated fats.
Some food groups were allowed in higher intakes than others; those women who followed recommendations closely – namely eating 7 or more of the foods mentioned above – presented 57 percent less chances of developing endometrial cancer.
Eating less than five of the diet’s food had no effect. Dr. Julie Sharp, director of health information for Cancer Research UK, commented on the study by adding that you can stack the odds even more in your favor by not smoking, being active, maintaining a healthy weight, and lowering intake of alcohol.
Image Source: Mediterranean Diet Guy
