Cancer and Mediterranean Diet: A Review

• Main Authors: Maria Chiara Mentella, Franco Scaldaferri, Caterina Ricci, Antonio Gasbarrini, Giacinto Abele Donato Miggiano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: Mediterranean diet; cancer incidence; cancer
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/9/2059

The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the most worldwide healthy dietary patterns thanks to a combination of foods rich mainly in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. Many studies have demonstrated a strong and inverse relationship between a high level of Mediterranean diet adherence and some chronic diseases (such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.) and cancer. Given its protective effects in reducing oxidative and inflammatory processes of cells and avoiding DNA damages, cell proliferation, and their survival, angiogenesis, inflammations and metastasis, the Mediterranean diet is considered a powerful and manageable method to fight cancer incidence. The aim of this narrative review was to determine the magnitude of interaction between the Mediterranean diet and more widespread types of cancer so as to give a first and useful overview on this relationship identifying, with a nutritional approach, those nutrients of Mediterranean diet able to reduce cancer incidence.