In the United States, the chance of a woman being diagnosed with breast cancer increases from about 0.5% (1 in 233) over age 30 to about 4% (1 in 27) by age 60. years. Known risk factors for breast cancer include increasing age or having a first-degree relative (mother, sister) with the disease. Research has also linked obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, the use of hormone replacement therapy, and high alcohol intake with increased risk.

So how do we get the risk numbers moving in the right direction?

One answer comes from a new study that suggests that postmenopausal women who eat foods traditional to the Mediterranean diet may be more successful in preventing breast cancer than those with different eating habits.

The researchers found that among 14,800 Greek women, those who more closely followed the region’s traditional diet were less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those whose eating habits were less like it.

The subjects were chosen from Greece, as it is considered the home of the Mediterranean diet and a large segment of the population still adheres to it naturally.

Participants completed detailed dietary questionnaires and provided demographic and lifestyle information. Each participant received a Mediterranean diet score, from 0 to 9, based on how often they ate according to the plan (vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts, whole grains, fish, and olive oil or other source of monounsaturated fats) and they were awarded more points for limiting meat and dairy.

Over the course of the study, 240 of the subjects were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Women with the highest dietary adherence (scores in the range of 6 to 9) were 22% less likely to develop breast cancer over the ten-year study period than those with the lowest scores (0 to 9). 3), who ate less than the traditional diet. Mediterranean diet. Factors such as age, education, smoking history, weight and exercise habits were taken into account. The link only appeared in women who had passed the menopause, not in younger women.

The Mediterranean diet isn’t so much a diet plan as it is a way of eating for life, and it’s nothing like the typical American diet. This plan is…

– Very low in red meat and poultry

– Use olive oil as the main source of fat

– Very rich in fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes and cereals

– High in fish

– Allows low to moderate wine intake

Science has long thought that this way of eating could help explain why countries in the Mediterranean region of the world have lower rates of heart disease and some types of cancer (including breast cancer) compared to other places. from Europe or the US

Until now, two other studies, both carried out in the United States, had been carried out that examined the relationship between the Mediterranean eating style and the risk of breast cancer. Each found a connection between diet and reduced risk of breast cancer, although in one study only a certain subset of cancers (those lacking estrogen receptors) responded.

The findings, preliminary to be sure, offer no evidence that eating foods from the Mediterranean diet is helpful in preventing breast cancer. Remember that you can do all the right things and still get the disease… and no one knows exactly why. But then, with more and more research showing the benefits of eating this way…why not give it a try?