Mediterranean diet extends life for cancer survivors: Study

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The Mediterranean diet can help cancer survivors live longer, according to a new study.

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The 13-year study has uncovered that the diet, which is heavy on fish, olive oil and vegetables, can be beneficial in helping those with cancer.

Survivors who started following the diet at the conclusion of their treatment had a 32% lower chance of premature death, the study showed, as reported in the New York Post.

Additionally, they had a 60% drop in the specific risk of heart-related mortality following treatment.

Italian researchers uncovered their findings after studying 800 cancer survivors in the years after receiving a clean bill of health. They tracked their dietary habits over that 13-year span, starting in the late 2000s.

The Mediterranean diet keys in on healthy foods such as fruits, clean protein and olive oil, so researcher Chiara Tonelli believes that their high sources of antioxiants play a role in longevity “advantage.”

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The research team also found a connection between the bases of heart disease and cancer.

“That different chronic diseases, such as tumors and heart diseases, actually share the same molecular mechanisms,” researcher Maria Benedetta Donati said, as reported by the U.S. News & World Report.

“This is known in the (medical) literature as ‘common soil,’ namely a common ground from which these two groups of disorders originate,” she added.

The team is now hoping to look further into specific foods from the Mediterranean diet.

Meanwhile, foods that are said to pose cancer risks, according to recent research, include processed meat, alcohol, red meat and sugary and fried food.

“The increase in risk of cancer with processed meat is quite modest,” Dr. Duane Mellor, a British Dietetic Association (BDA) spokesperson, told the Daily Mail.

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