Miracle diet from the Med
July 7th 2008
A number of papers report on a study from Harvard University which looked at 26,000 people’s eating habits over a period of 8 years and concluded that adopting elements of a Mediterranean-style diet can reduce the risk of cancer by almost a quarter.
The research shows that just two elements of the Mediterranean diet added to daily food intake can cut the possibility of cancer taking hold by to 12%. If six items of Mediterranean food are consumed on a daily basis the prospect of the disease being diagnosed falls by 22%.
The study is published in the Journal of Cancer. Cancer specialists said that the best advice for people to avoid getting cancer was not to smoke, to take regular exercise and eat a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables and low in red meat and saturated fats.
A separate study by the Institute of Food Research suggests that eating broccoli may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by switching off genes that trigger the disease. Apparently it takes about 5 portions a week to alter the activity of such genes.
John Neate of the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: “This study furthers understanding and could be an exciting development. We always encourage a healthy diet.”
(Independent, p3; Express, p11; Telegraph p8)
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