From my pantry…
A Mediterranean-style diet with supplemental extra-virgin olive oil seemed to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in a Spanish population. This is consistent with prior observational studies that link the Mediterranean diet with lower rates of breast and other cancers.
The study population involved 4,000 women who were followed for five years. Thirty-five new cases of breast cancer occurred in this PREDIMED study sub-analysis.
The comparison diets were a reduced-fat diet and Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts.
This is a relatively small study, so results may not be entirely reliable.
Action Plan
If you’re a woman hoping to avoid breast cancer, consider the Mediterranean diet and be sure to eat plenty of extra-virgin olive oil. A good way to do this is to use home-made vinaigrettes.
Steve Parker, M.D.
PS: Even if you think Spaniards are jovial, you won’t find any in my books.
Reference: Mediterranean diet and invasive breast cancer risk among women at high cardiovascular risk in the PREDIMED trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.4838
Two diet books in one
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 