The Mediterranean diet is an incredible ally for health, even after a cancer diagnosis, say researchers of a new Italian study. The Joint Research Platform Umberto Veronesi Foundation and the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the Institute for Research, Hospitalisation, and Health Care (IRCCS) Neuromed of Pozzilli, in collaboration with LUM "Giuseppe Degennaro" University, led the research as part of the UMBERTO Project. According to this study, cancer survivors who carefully followed the Mediterranean Diet lived longer and were less likely to die from heart disease than those who did not. 

The study, published in JACC CardioOncology, examined 800 Italian adults, both men and women, diagnosed with cancer while participating in the Moli-Sani Study between 2005 and 2010, where the study tracked participants for more than 13 years and provided full details of their food intake from the year preceding enrollment.

"The Mediterranean Diet's beneficial role in preventing some cancers is well known," stated Marialaura Bonaccio, the study's first author and co-principal investigator at IRCCS Neuromed's Department of Epidemiology and Prevention. "However, little is known about the potential benefits this diet can offer to those who have already received a cancer diagnosis." 

As the number of cancer survivors increases due to effective treatments, it is critical to understand how a good diet can extend survival. When Italian researchers participated in the Moli-Sani Study, one of Europe's largest population studies, they investigated how the Mediterranean diet affects mortality among cancer survivors. 

"Our study results indicate that cancer survivors who adhered closely to a Mediterranean diet had a 32% lower risk of death compared to those who did not follow the diet," Bonaccio reported. "The benefit was particularly significant for cardiovascular mortality, which was reduced by 60%." 

Maria Benedetta Donati, Principal Investigator of the Joint Platform, stated, "These findings support an intriguing concept that distinct chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, have similar molecular processes. This notion, known in the literature as 'common soil,' implies a common origin for many diseases." 

Pointing out that the UMBERTO Project seeks to improve our understanding of these benefits, particularly for vulnerable populations such as cancer survivors, Chiara Tonelli, President of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation's Scientific Committee, noted, "The Mediterranean Diet is mainly composed of foods such as fruits, vegetables, and olive oil, which are natural sources of antioxidant compounds."

"This could explain the observed decrease in mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease," she added.