Association Between the Mediterranean Diet and Cancer Risk: A Review of Observational Studies

AbstractThe evidence on a cancer-protective effect of the Mediterranean diet (MD) is still limited. Therefore, we investigated the association between MD adherence and lung cancer risk. Data were used from 120 852 participants of the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS), aged 55–69 years. Dietary habits were assessed at baseline (1986) using a validated FFQ and alternate and modified Mediterranean diet scores (aMED and mMED, respectively), including and excluding alcohol, were calculated. After 20·3 years of follow-up, 2861 lung cancer cases and 3720 subcohort members (case-cohort design) could be included in multivariable Cox regression analyses. High (6–8) v. low (0–3) aMED excluding alcohol was associated with non-significantly reduced lung cancer risks in men and women with hazard ratios of 0·91 (95 % CI 0·72, 1·15) and 0·73 (95 % CI 0·49, 1·09), respectively. aMED-containing models generally fitted better than mMED-containing models. In never smokers, a borderline significant decreasing trend in lung cancer risk was observed with increasing aMED excluding alcohol. Analyses stratified by the histological lung cancer subtypes did not identify subtypes with a particularly strong inverse relation with MD adherence. Generally, the performance of aMED and World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research dietary score variants without alcohol was comparable. In conclusion, MD adherence was non-significantly inversely associated with lung cancer risk in the NLCS. Future studies should focus on differences in associations across the sexes and histological subtypes. Furthermore, exclusion of alcohol from MD scores should be investigated more extensively, primarily with respect to a potential role of the MD in cancer prevention.

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Impact of the level of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1016/j.clnu.2021.10.002 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dimitra Rafailia Bakaloudi ◽

Lydia Chrysoula ◽

Ioannis Leonida ◽

Evangelia Kotzakioulafi ◽

Xenophon Theodoridis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

The Mediterranean

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From the Table to the Tumor: The Role of Mediterranean and Western Dietary Patterns in Shifting Microbial-Mediated Signaling to Impact Breast Cancer Risk

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11112565 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 2565 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tiffany M. Newman ◽

Mara Z. Vitolins ◽

Katherine L. Cook

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Breast Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Western Diet ◽

Diet Pattern ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

The Impact

Diet is a modifiable component of lifestyle that could influence breast cancer development. The Mediterranean dietary pattern is considered one of the healthiest of all dietary patterns. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet protects against diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Reported consumption of a Mediterranean diet pattern was associated with lower breast cancer risk for women with all subtypes of breast cancer, and a Western diet pattern was associated with greater risk. In this review, we contrast the available epidemiological breast cancer data, comparing the impact of consuming a Mediterranean diet to the Western diet. Furthermore, we will review the preclinical data highlighting the anticancer molecular mechanism of Mediterranean diet consumption in both cancer prevention and therapeutic outcomes. Diet composition is a major constituent shaping the gut microbiome. Distinct patterns of gut microbiota composition are associated with the habitual consumption of animal fats, high-fiber diets, and vegetable-based diets. We will review the impact of Mediterranean diet on the gut microbiome and inflammation. Outside of the gut, we recently demonstrated that Mediterranean diet consumption led to distinct microbiota shifts in the mammary gland tissue, suggesting possible anticancer effects by diet on breast-specific microbiome. Taken together, these data support the anti-breast-cancer impact of Mediterranean diet consumption.

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Healthy dietary patterns from food diaries and FFQ are not associated with colorectal cancer risk: results from the UKWCS

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665120000348 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽

Author(s):

Petra Jones ◽

Janet Cade ◽

Charlotte Evans ◽

Neil Hancock ◽

Darren Greenwood

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Dietary Pattern ◽

Colorectal Cancer Risk ◽

Mediterranean Diet Score ◽

Bland Altman Method ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Diet Score

AbstractDietary pattern analyses have most commonly used food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data for large population studies, whilst food diaries (FD) tend to be used with smaller datasets and followed up for shorter terms, restricting the possibility of a direct comparison. Studies comparing dietary patterns derived from two different assessment methods, in relation to diet and disease are limited. The aims of this study are to assess the agreement between dietary patterns derived from FFQ and FDs and to compare the associations between the Mediterranean dietary pattern and the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute of Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) dietary pattern in relation to colorectal cancer incidence.The study population included 2276 healthy middle-aged women – participants of the UK Women's Cohort Study. Energy and nutrient intakes, derived from 4-day FDs and from a 217-item FFQ were compared. A 10 and an 8-component score indicating adherence to the Mediterranean diet and to the 2007 WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations respectively were generated. Agreement was assessed by weighted Kappa statistics and the Bland-Altman method. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for colorectal cancer risk for both the FD and the FFQ patterns, for each score separately.The Bland-Altman method showed that the FFQ gave a higher energy intake compared to the FD with a bias of -525 kcal (95% CI -556, -493) between the two methods. Agreement was slight for the Mediterranean diet score (Κ = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.16) and fair for the WCRF/AICR score (Κ = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.39). A total of 173 incident cases of colorectal cancer were documented. In the multi-variable adjusted models, the estimates for an association with colorectal cancer were weak: HR = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.83 to 1.06) for a 1-unit increment in the Mediterranean diet score using FD and HR = 1.01 (95% CI: 0.83 to 1.24) for a 1-unit increment in the WCRF/AICR score using FD. For scores derived from the FFQ, estimates were inverse, but weak (HR = 0.80 (95% CI: 0.90 to 1.00) for a 1-unit increment in the Mediterranean diet score using FFQ and HR = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.67 to 1.05) for a 1-unit increment in the WCRF/AICR score using FFQ.There is insufficient evidence of an association of colorectal cancer risk with the Mediterranean dietary pattern or with the WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations, irrespective of the dietary assessment method in this sample. Further studies with larger sample sizes, using FD for diet assessment are warranted.

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Diet and cancer in Mediterranean countries: carbohydrates and fats

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980009990425 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 12 (9A) ◽

pp. 1595-1600 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Cristina Bosetti ◽

Claudio Pelucchi ◽

Carlo La Vecchia

Keyword(s):

Cancer Risk ◽

Olive Oil ◽

Digestive Tract ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

A Priori ◽

Glycaemic Index ◽

Case Control Studies ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Mediterranean

AbstractObjectiveSeveral aspects of the diet characteristic of the Mediterranean countries are considered favourable not only on cardiovascular disease, but also on cancer risk. We considered some aspects of the Mediterranean diet (including, in particular, the consumption of olive oil and carbohydrates) on cancer risk.Design, Setting and SubjectsData were derived from a series of case-control studies, conducted in Italy since the early 1990s, on over 10 000 cases of thirteen cancer sites and over 17 000 controls.ResultsOlive oil, and other mono- and unsaturated fats, appear to be favourable indicators of breast, ovarian, colorectal, but mostly of upper aero-digestive tract cancers. Whole grain foods are also related to reduced risk of upper aero-digestive tract and various other cancers. In contrast, refined grain intake and, consequently, glycaemic index and glycaemic load were associated to increased risk for several cancer sites. Fish, and hence a diet rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, tended to be another favourable diet indicator, while frequent red meat intake was directly related to some common neoplasms. An a priori defined Mediterranean diet score was inversely related to upper digestive and respiratory tract cancers.ConclusionsThese data provide additional evidence that major characteristics of the Mediterranean diet favourably affect cancer risk.

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