Mediterranean diet reduces risk of obesity-related cancers

A new study has found that following a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of obesity-related cancers, including liver and kidney cancer. The study shows that even a diet that is not too strict provides some protection against cancer.

A recent JAMA Network Open study investigates whether following the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) affects the risk of obesity-related cancers.

How does obesity affect cancer risk?

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased significantly from 1975 to 2016 among both men and women. According to a recent study, 39% of the world’s population is now obese or overweight. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, excess body weight is associated with an increased risk of cancer at thirteen anatomical sites, including the kidneys, liver, breast, endometrium, and esophagus.

Numerous epidemiological studies and clinical trials have reported the beneficial effects of MedDiet on weight loss and abdominal fat reduction. For example, the European Prospective Study on Cancer and Nutrition found an inverse relationship between high adherence to the MedDiet and the risk of obesity among overweight people. In addition, another study showed that the MedDiet improved survival rates after breast cancer diagnosis.

The new EPIC study also showed a 4% reduction in overall cancer risk with a two-point increase in MedDiet adherence, where a higher score reflects greater adherence to this diet. Similar observations were published in a recent meta-analysis that reported that higher adherence to the MedDiet reduced the risk of cancer mortality and cancer incidence.

Several factors have been implicated in the link between obesity and cancer, including genetic predisposition, hypoxia, insulin resistance, adipokines, stromal cells, inflammation, and growth factors.

The present study examined the association between adherence to the MedDiet and risk of obesity-related cancer in a cohort of 521,324 individuals aged 35 to 70 years from 23 centers in 10 countries.

Individuals who were diagnosed with cancer at baseline and did not have dietary and lifestyle data were excluded from the analysis.

Fourteen food and nutrient groups were considered in the analysis. The daily intake in grams of the different food components and the total energy intake of each participant were assessed.

Information on cancer cases in the EPIC study was collected over a 14.9-year follow-up period.

A total of 450,111 participants from the EPIC study cohort, 29.2% of whom were male and 70.8% of whom were female, met the eligibility criteria for the present study. The mean age of the study participants was 51.1 years. At baseline, the mean BMI was 25.3.

Approximately 4.9% of study participants who were not diagnosed with cancer at baseline developed obesity-related cancer during the follow-up period.

Those with the highest rates of adherence to the Mediterranean diet at baseline had higher levels of education, were younger, did not smoke, were less physically active, and had a high caloric intake.

In the fully adjusted model, greater adherence to the MedDiet was associated with a lower risk of obesity-related cancers.

Site-specific assessment of obesity-related cancers showed an inverse association between higher adherence to the MedDiet and risk of hepatocellular, colorectal, and kidney cancers. Average adherence to the MedDiet was also inversely associated with esophageal cancer; however, this association was not observed for postmenopausal breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers.

Overall, a lower risk of obesity-related cancers was associated with moderate alcohol consumption and lower meat consumption.

The results of the study confirm that greater adherence to the MedDiet can moderately reduce the risk of all cancers, while moderate adherence to the diet is associated with a smaller reduction in the risk of only some cancers.

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Published: 04.03.2025

Updated: 04.03.2025

Medical author, Medical editor:

Stepan Yuk

Medical expert:

PhD. Olexandr Voznyak