Diets have been known to a lot of good though most people have associated them with obesity and weight loss issues. A new research involving the Mediterranean diet offers an interesting twist, something that is associated with potentially lowering the risk of breast cancer. 
 
 A study involving more than 300 women carrying early stage cancer supported this claim, something that backs up previous researches. The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) conference held in Chicago, where diets were seen as a key recourse as far as lowering the chances of cancer. 
 
 Skimming down the items which the Mediterranean diet focuses on (i.e. fish, fruits, nuts, seeds, olive oil and vegetables) plus the controlled consumption of red meat and alcohol, a study claiming the reduced risk on breast cancer does make sense. 
 
 The latest study was carried out at the Piacenza Hospital over in Italy, where women who were in remission with breast cancer were tracked for three years. The results showed that 11 patients on a normal diet incurred breast cancer once more compared to the ones who followed the Mediterranean diet who had none. 
 
 "Lifestyle choices like eating a well-balanced diet, taking regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can all help reduce the risk of cancer coming back, but they can't prevent it completely," says Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of Breast Cancer Care. 
 
 A previous research published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal could expound a bit, technically referring to extra virgin oil as a possible reason behind the lowered risk of breast cancer when the Mediterranean diet is followed. 
 
 From that study that involved 4,000 women, it was found that the Mediterranean diet with extra olive oil seemed to have reduced the risk of breast cancer by an astounding 68%. Could this be the key component in the Mediterranean diet that women should follow? 
 
 Al Qadhi explains that discovering breakthroughs that would help breast cancer is important but as far as the recent study is concerned, it would be best to do the study using a wider scope. 
 
 “This is a small study which only followed women for three years. We look forward to seeing results of longer term studies,” says al Qadhi. 
 
 But like most experts, it looks like most are saying the same thing – the incurrence of breast cancer depends a lot on the lifestyle choices that women follow. ||||| EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 4:30 A.M. (ET), MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2015 
 
 Media Advisory: To contact study corresponding author Miguel A. Martínez-González, M.D., email Jesus Diaz at jediaz@unav.es or call +34-636-355-333. To contact Editor’s Note author Mitchell H. Katz, M.D., email mediarelations@jamanetwork.org 
 
 To place an electronic embedded link in your story: Links will be live at the embargo time: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.4838 
 
 JAMA Internal Medicine 
 
 Eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil was associated with a relatively lower risk of breast cancer in a study of women in Spain, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. 
 
 Breast cancer is a frequently diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of death in women. Diet has been extensively studied as a modifiable risk factor in the development of breast cancer but epidemiologic evidence on the effect of specific dietary factors is inconsistent. 
 
 The Mediterranean diet is known for its abundance of plant foods, fish and especially olive oil. Miguel A. Martínez-González, M.D., of the University of Navarra in Pamplona and CIBEROBN in Madrid, Spain, and coauthors analyzed the effects of two interventions with the Mediterranean diet (supplemented with extra virgin olive oil [EVOO] or nuts) compared with advice to women to follow a low-fat diet. Study participants in the two intervention groups were given EVOO (one liter per week for the participants and their families) or mixed nuts (30 grams per day: 15 grams of walnuts, 7.5 grams of hazelnuts and 7.5 grams of almonds). 
 
 The study was conducted within the framework of the large PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) trial, which was designed to test the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. 
 
 From 2003 to 2009, 4,282 women (ages 60 to 80 and at high risk of cardiovascular disease) were recruited. Women were randomly assigned to the Mediterranean diet supplemented with EVOO (n=1,476), the Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts (n=1,285) or the control diet with advice to reduce their dietary intake of fat (n=1,391). 
 
 The women were an average age of 67.7 years old, had an average body mass index of 30.4, most of them had undergone menopause before the age of 55 and less than 3 percent used hormone therapy. During a median follow-up of nearly five years, the authors identified 35 confirmed incident (new) cases of malignant breast cancer. 
 
 The authors report that women eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with EVOO showed a 68 percent (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio of 0.32) relatively lower risk of malignant breast cancer than those allocated to the control diet. Women eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts showed a nonsignificant risk reduction compared with women in the control group. 
 
 The authors note a number of limitations in their study including that breast cancer was not the primary end point of the trial for which the women were recruited; the number of observed breast cancer cases was low; the authors do not have information on an individual basis on whether and when women in the trial underwent mammography; and the study cannot establish whether the observed beneficial effect was attributable mainly to the EVOO or to its consumption within the context of the Mediterranean diet. 
 
 “The results of the PREDIMED trial suggest a beneficial effect of a MeDiet [Mediterranean diet] supplemented with EVOO in the primary prevention of breast cancer. Preventive strategies represent the most sensible approach against cancer. The intervention paradigm implemented in the PREDIMED trial provides a useful scenario for breast cancer prevention because it is conducted in primary health care centers and also offers beneficial effects on a wide variety of health outcomes. Nevertheless, these results need confirmation by long-term studies with a higher number of incident cases,” the authors conclude. 
 
 Editor’s Note: Can Diet Prevent Breast Cancer? 
 
 In a related editor’s note, Mitchell H. Katz, M.D., a deputy editor of JAMA Internal Medicine, writes: “Of course, no study is perfect. This one has a small number of outcomes (only 35 incident cases of breast cancer), the women were not all screened for breast cancer with mammography, they were not blinded to the type of diet they were receiving, and all were white, postmenopausal and at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Still, consumption of a Mediterranean diet, which is based on plant foods, fish and extra virgin olive oil, is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and is safe. It may also prevent breast cancer. We hope to see more emphasis on Mediterranean diet to reduce cancer and cardiovascular disease and improve health and well-being.” 
 
 (JAMA Intern Med. Published online September 14, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.4838. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.) 
 
 Editor’s Note: Authors made conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures 
 
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 For more information, contact JAMA Network Media Relations at 312-464-JAMA (5262) or email mediarelations@jamanetwork.org. ||||| Out of 199 women asked to eat lots of fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil in Italian trial, none suffered recurrence in three years 
 
 Eating a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil, may help prevent breast cancer returning, according to a study presented at a major international cancer conference. 
 
 Lifestyle – whether people are physically active or not – and being overweight are known risk factors for breast cancer, but there is increasing interest in whether particular eating habits play a part in its occurrence and recurrence. 
 
 The study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago is a trial in Italy which compared the outcomes for 307 women who had been treated for early breast cancer. One group of 199 women were asked to eat a Mediterranean diet, involving four portions of vegetables, three pieces of fruit and one serving of grains a day, together with four or more servings of fish each week, some red and processed meat and plenty of olive oil. They were allowed up to one alcoholic drink a day. 
 
 Precision medicine the theme at world's biggest cancer conference Read more 
 
 The other group of 108 women were asked to eat their normal diet, but given advice on healthy food by a dietician. 
 
 The cancer researchers at Piacenza hospital, Italy, found that after three years, 11 women from the group eating a normal diet suffered a return of their breast cancer, while none of those eating a Mediterranean diet did. 
 
 Experts say the study is small and has limitations, but raises issues of great interest. “The whole topic of lifestyle interventions for breast cancer survivors is a very important one. There is substantial research going on into what we should be recommending,” said Dr Erica Mayer, an ASCO expert in breast cancer, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and director of clinical research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US. 
 
 But the results of studies to date have been conflicting. “It is not clear whether there is a specific diet or foods to eat or not to eat to prevent recurrence,” she said. Physical activity, on the other hand, is very beneficial, helping to prevent cancer both occurring and recurring. 
 
 The signals so far from research into women’s eating habits and breast cancer “probably reflect weight loss rather than diet”, she said. On this particular study there were issues with the methodology. “They don’t say if this is randomised. People were asked to participate in one diet or the other. There is no information about the activity level or change in weight which for most of the lifestyle research one needs to be aware of,” she said. 
 
 Cancer charities said more research was needed. “The preliminary results of this small study suggest that a Mediterranean diet could lower the risk of breast cancer returning, but we’d need much longer follow up than three years to confirm the diet’s impact,” said Prof Arnie Purushotham, Cancer Research UK’s senior clinical adviser. “Further studies with more women are needed to understand more about the impact that diet can have on breast cancer survival and the biological reasons behind this.” 
 
 Lady Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said: “This study adds to increasingly interesting discussions about how lifestyle factors might influence breast cancer recurrence. However, we still don’t have enough evidence to demonstrate a strong link between any specific food type and a person’s breast cancer returning. 
 
 “We need to see results from longer-term studies before we can give specific diet advice to breast cancer patients. In the meantime we do know that a varied, balanced diet for general health and well-being, as well as being physically active, can be beneficial to breast cancer patients.” ||||| A Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fish and olive oil may reduce the risk of breast cancer returning, a small study suggests. 
 
 Research on more than 300 women with early-stage breast cancer reinforces earlier work which suggests diet may play an important role in cutting cancer risk. 
 
 Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) conference in Chicago, the study involved 199 women eating their normal diet and 108 who ate a Mediterranean diet. 
 
 The best diets: according to the experts 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 + show all The best diets: according to the experts 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1/10 Flexitarian Diet The combination of flexible and vegetarian. This diet is all about adding things to your diet, not taking them away. By adding more tofu, beans, fruits, veggies, eggs, whole grains and seeds to your diet you should feel full on fewer calories. Flickr / Brian 
 
 2/10 DASH Diet Ranked at number one, the DASH diet was developed to prevent and lower high blood pressure by reducing salt intake. Flickr / Dubravko Sorić 
 
 3/10 TLC Diet Created to cut high cholesterol and endorsed by the American Heart Association. 
 
 4/10 Mayo Clinic diet Focuses on everything you were told to eat as a child: whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Flickr / Rochelle 
 
 5/10 Mediterranean Diet Eat as the Mediterranean people do: A diet low in red meat, sugar and saturated fats but high in produce and nuts. And lots of olives. Flickr / Meal Makeover Moms 
 
 6/10 Weight Watchers Works with a points system where healthy foods have fewer points. Group meetings offer emotional support and encouragement, meaning it has been a successful program since 1963. Flickr / Mike Mozart 
 
 7/10 Volumetrics Diet Works on the idea that people eat roughly the same amount every day, regardless of the calories. So this diet is all about the approach to eating rather than a structured diet. It divides food into four groups depending on their energy density. For example, more veggies on top of pasta instead of cheese. Flickr / Jennifer 
 
 8/10 Jenny Craig For encouragement, on this diet you get a meal plan and a counselling session every week with a consultant. You get three meals a day, including French toast, but unfortunately you can’t really go out for meals. Flickr / Dennis Wilkinson 
 
 9/10 Biggest Loser Diet Eat regular meals with whole grains, fruit, vegetables and lean protein, get more exercise and keep a food journal. Fairly simple. Flickr / Pete Thomas 
 
 10/10 Ornish Diet Developed by Dean Ornish in his 2007 book “The Spectrum”. He categorizes food in to five groups from most (1) to least (5) healthy. He pinpoints emotional support as a powerful tool for weight loss. Flickr / kris krüg 
 
 A Mediterranean diet includes vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, fish, olive oil and whole grains, while being low in red and processed meat, and with alcohol kept to a minimum. 
 
 People who are considered to get maximum benefit from the diet have less than one drink a day for women, or one to two for men, and fewer than three servings of red meat per day. 
 
 They also eat several servings of fruit and vegetables per day, one serving of wholegrains and up to four servings of fish per week. 
 
 In the latest study, carried out at Piacenza Hospital in Italy, women who were in remission from breast cancer were tracked for three years. 
 
 The results showed that during that time, 11 patients suffered cancer again who were following their normal diet, while no women in the Mediterranean diet group experienced a relapse. 
 
 Research published last year in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine also found that eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. 
 
 The study, led by the University of Navarra in Pamplona and the Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition in Madrid, Spain, compared women whose families consumed one litre a week of olive oil, compared with women on a low fat diet. 
 
 Of more than 4,000 women, researchers found that those on the Mediterranean diet with extra olive oil appeared to have a 68% reduced risk of breast cancer. 
 
 Responding to the latest Italian study, Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of Breast Cancer Care, said: "For many women with breast cancer, fear of the disease returning is one of the biggest issues they face after treatment. 
 
 "So anything that helps us understand how to lower risk of recurrence in women who follow a Mediterranean diet rich in fish and olive oil is a welcome addition to our toolbox. 
 
 "However, this is a small study which only followed women for three years. We look forward to seeing results of longer term studies. 
 
 "Lifestyle choices like eating a well-balanced diet, taking regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can all help reduce the risk of cancer coming back, but they can't prevent it completely." 
 
 Professor Arnie Purushotham, Cancer Research UK's senior clinical adviser, said: "The preliminary results of this small study suggest that a Mediterranean diet could lower the risk of breast cancer returning, but we'd need much longer follow-up than three years to confirm the diet's impact. 
 
 "Further studies with more women are needed to understand more about the impact that diet can have on breast cancer survival and the biological reasons behind this." 
 
 Dr Erica Mayer, Asco's breast cancer expert, said: "The whole topic of lifestyle interventions for breast cancer survivors is a very important one. 
 
 "There is substantial research going on into what we should be recommending to breast cancer survivors." 
 
 But she said studies to date have been conflicting and the latest study had some problems with its methodology. 
 
 "It is not clear whether there is a specific diet or foods to eat or not to eat to prevent recurrence," she said.
– Women who've survived breast cancer and are looking to prevent a recurrence may be encouraged by news out of a major cancer conference: that adhering to a Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits, veggies, fish, and olive oil) may help fend off the disease's return, the Guardian reports. For their experiment, revealed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago, researchers at Piacenza Hospital in Italy studied two groups of women who had been treated for early breast cancer: 199 who ate Mediterranean-style (including an allowance for one alcoholic drink daily) and another 108 who ate what they usually did, but with healthy-eating input from a dietician. After three years of following these diets, none of the ladies who went Mediterranean suffered relapses, while 11 women from the other group did. Science World Report notes these results add onto the news from another, much larger recent JAMA study that found a Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil led to a 68% reduction in the risk of developing breast cancer. There are drawbacks to the new study—notably, the small sample size, the relatively short follow-up time of three years, and other methodology issues, critics say. "People were asked to participate in one diet or the other," the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's director of clinical research tells the Guardian. "There is no information about the activity level or change in weight which, for most of the lifestyle research, one needs to be aware of." And the CEO of UK charity Breast Cancer Care says that while any info about how to possibly keep breast cancer from coming back is a "welcome addition to our toolbox," there's no universal panacea. "Lifestyle choices like eating a well-balanced diet, [partaking in] regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight can all help reduce the risk of cancer coming back, but they can't prevent it completely," she notes, per the Independent. (America is slowly but surely moving toward a more Mediterranean way of eating.)