Cancer survivors who closely follow a Mediterranean diet have a 32% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who don’t, researchers reported in study findings published in JACC: CardioOncology. They also linked adherence to the diet to lower cardiovascular mortality but not cancer mortality.

The researchers used data from 802 participants in the Moli-sani Study who provided relevant medical records and answered a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire an average of 8.8 years after their diagnosis. They categorized individuals into three groups based on adherence to the diet on a 9-point scale: poor (0–3), average (4–5), or high (6–9). They found that participants with higher socioeconomic status and levels of physical activity were more likely to be high adherers.

After 12.7 years of follow-up, the researchers found that each 2-point increase in adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 31% lower risk of cardiovascular death. They adjusted their analyses for age, sex, energy intake, education, smoking status, physical activity, hormone replacement therapy, and other factors.

“The Mediterranean diet is abundant in foods that are natural sources of polyphenols, which are bioactive compounds with well-established anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor activities that may be relevant not only to cancer onset and progression but also and possibly even more to cardiovascular mortality prevention,” the researchers wrote.

They cautioned that their study had limitations, such as misreported dietary intake or inconsistent assessments, an innate survival bias because of the time since diagnosis, and inadequate statistical power. However, “our findings suggest maintaining or adopting a traditional Mediterranean diet even after a cancer diagnosis may be beneficial and, importantly, motivate additional science regarding the development of dietary recommendations specifically targeted for cancer survivors,” they concluded.

Learn more about the current evidence base for the Mediterranean diet in ONS Voice’s What the Evidence Says About the Mediterranean Diet for Patients With Cancer.