A study in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition associates the Mediterranean diet with lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
The data derive from the Greek portion of the massive EPIC study: European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and nutrition. Investigators followed almost 15,000 women for 10 years. No protective effect was seen for premenopausal women eating Mediterranean-style. The study at hand adds to prior evidence that the Mediterranean diet seems to protect against cancer of the breast, prostate, uterus, and colon/rectum.
Reference: Trichopoulou, Antonia, et al. Conformity to traditional Mediterranean diet and breast cancer risk in the Greek EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition) cohort. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, published July 14, 2010. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29619