A new study has revealed that following a popular diet can help in lowering the risk of these cancers. According to the researchers, people who are on Mediterranean diet had a 6 percent lower risk of risk developing obesity-linked cancers.
The findings of the study were published in JAMA Network Open journal on Tuesday. The team highlighted that this diet is beneficial as it prioritises veggies, pulses, healthy fats and olive oil.
The team analysed the diet information of over 450,000 participants aged 35 to 70 who lived in Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.
“This was somewhat surprising. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was associated with lower obesity-related cancer risk regardless of BMI (body mass index) or fat distribution,” said first author Inmaculada Aguilera-Buenosvinos, a postdoctoral scientist in the department of preventive medicine and public health at the University of Navarra’s Institute for Health Research in Pamplona, Spain as quoted by CNN.
According to the researchers, the amount of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds, dairy products, cereals, meat, fish and fats participants consumed, estimating their total calorie intake.
“This cohort study found that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a modestly reduced risk of 6 per cent of obesity-related cancer,” they wrote.
Interestingly, the researchers found that the veggie-rich diet seemed to lower the risk of bowel, liver and kidney cancer. “Generally, we found a lower risk of incident obesity-related cancer for moderate intake of alcohol and lower meat consumption,” researchers said.
The researchers also found that the high fibre content of the diet may help counteract harmful cancerous compounds in processed meats. Previous research has linked the diet to a 23 per cent lower risk of early death.