Mediterranean diet linked to lower risk of obesity-related cancers

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-02-26 03:00

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People who adhere more strongly to a Mediterranean diet are at a slightly lower risk of developing cancers known to be linked to obesity, according to international researchers who say this link is not fully explained by body weight. A Mediterranean diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats has been linked to a lower cancer risk before, so the researchers analysed diet and health data from over 450,000 Europeans, 4.9% of whom developed a cancer considered obesity-related during the study. The researchers say those whose diet most closely resembled the Mediterranean diet had a 6% lower risk of developing an obesity-related cancer compared to those whose diet was the least similar, and even a medium adherence to the diet was linked to a reduced risk. Looking at measurements of obesity, the researchers say the participants' BMIs and waist to hip ratios did not explain this reduced risk, which means a lower cancer risk may not just be related to having a lower weight.