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Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

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 The following is excerpted from an article by Sara G. Miller that appeared in LiveScience on September 14, 2015.

The Mediterranean diet may be able to add “reduces risk of breast cancer” to its long list of health benefits, according to a new study from Spain.

In the study, researchers found that women who were asked to follow a Mediterranean diet that was high in extra-virgin olive oil were 68 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who were advised only to reduce the amount of fat in their diets.

In the study, 4,152 post-menopausal women who had never had breast cancer were asked to follow one of three diets: One was a Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil (extra-virgin olive oil accounted for 15 percent of their daily calories), the second was a Mediterranean diet rich in nuts, and the third was a control diet, in which the women were advised to reduce the amount of fat they ate.

After about five years, 35 women in the study had developed breast cancer. Women in the extra-virgin olive oil group were the least likely to develop breast cancer. The researchers also observed a slight decrease in risk for the women in the nut group, but this was not statistically significant (meaning it could have been due to chance), according to the study published today (Sept. 14) in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The Mediterranean diet contains many components that have been suggested to have antitumor effects, Dr. Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Navarra in Spain and coauthor of the study, told Live Science in an email.

Extra-virgin olive oil in particular is rich in compounds called polyphenols, which have been shown in lab studies to have anti-cancer effects, he said. Indeed, the study found that the greater the percentage of calories that came from extra-virgin olive oil in the women’s diets, the lower their risk of developing breast cancer, Martinez- Gonzalez told Live Science. “For every additional 5 percent of calories from extra-virgin olive oil, the risk was reduced [by] 28 percent,” he said.

However, the researchers do not know if the lower risk may have been lowered due to the extra-virgin olive oil on its own, or if it was the effect of oil working in combination with the rest of the diet, he said.

….Previous studies have also shown a reduced risk of breast cancer in women who eat a Mediterranean diet, Martinez-Gonzalez said.

A strength of the new study is that unlike those previous studies, in which women were asked to report what foods they ate, women in the new study were randomized to a specific diet, which eliminates certain factors that can influence the results, Dr. Mitchell Katz, a deputy editor of JAMA and the author of an editorial about the study, told Live Science.

The study did have limitations, including the small number of cases of breast cancer, and that all of the participants were white, post-menopausal women who were at risk of heart disease, Katz wrote in his editorial.

….Still, he encouraged women to try out the diet: “Although no diet is perfect, a Mediterranean diet [rich in] olive oil is likely good for your health,” Katz said.

Martinez-Gonzalez agreed. Women should be encouraged to eat more extra-virgin olive oil, salads with fresh vegetables and have fruit for dessert, he said.

Even Fried Food Has Nutritional Value When Cooked in Olive Oil

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 The following is excerpted from an article by Yvette Brazier that appeared in Medical News Today on January 25, 2016.

Frying in extra virgin olive oil is healthier than other cooking methods, according to research published in Food Chemistry.

Numerous studies have extolled the virtues of the Mediterranean diet. There is evidence that it leads to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular problems, improves gut health, slows the process of brain aging, and reduces the risk of various chronic, degenerative conditions. The Spanish Mediterranean diet features a high volume of vegetables and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), both of which are good sources of phenols, the antioxidant effect of which is believed to contribute to the reduction of health risks.

Concentrations of antioxidants can be either increased or decreased, depending on how the food is processed.

Researchers from the University of Granada in Spain wanted to compare cooking methods to find out which one would give the best antioxidant capacity, and maximize the amount of phenolic compounds provided by vegetables used in the Mediterranean diet, including potato, pumpkin, tomato and eggplant.

Phenols transfer from olive oil to vegetables during frying

Under controlled conditions, the team cooked 120 g of potato, pumpkin, tomato and eggplant without seeds or skin. They compared three methods: frying, boiling, and cooking with a mixture of EVOO and water. The ratio of vegetable to water followed traditional Spanish cooking methods.

They also used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure the levels of phenolic compound in each vegetable.

Frying in EVOO was found to increase fat content and reduce moisture; other methods did not have this effect. Cooking in oil increased the levels of phenolic compounds, but cooking in water did not. This is thought to be due to phenols being transferred from the EVOO to the vegetables, adding to the vegetables some beneficial compounds not normally found there.

Results showed that frying in EVOO is the most effective way to increase the antioxidant capacity and levels of phenolic compounds in raw potato, pumpkin, tomato, and eggplant. In other words, the cooking process improves the quality of the raw foods.

All three methods led to a higher level of antioxidant capacity in all the vegetables. The final levels of phenols, moisture, fat, dry matter, and antioxidant activity of each vegetable varied according to the composition of the original vegetable and the cooking method.

Any raw vegetable that started with a high level of phenols had its phenolic content boosted further by the use of EVOO in cooking, suggesting that frying and sautéing should be used not only to conserve the goodness, but also to enhance it.

Reference: Ramírez-Anaya JP, Samaniego-Sánchez C, Castañeda-Saucedo MC, Villalón-Mir M, de la Serrana HL. Phenols and the antioxidant capacity of Mediterranean vegetables prepared with extra virgin olive oil using different domestic cooking techniques. Food Chem. 2015;188:430-8.

After-Meal Blood Glucose Spikes? Try Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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 The following is reprinted from an article on the American Diabetes Association website, summarizing a study published in the April 2016 issue of Diabetes Care.

What is the problem and what is known about it so far? The glycemic index, or GI, measures how much a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose levels. A food with a high GI raises blood glucose more than a food with a medium or low GI. Researchers have discovered that certain types of fat affect blood glucose differently when you eat a high-GI meal.

Why did the researchers do this particular study? The researchers wanted to determine how the type of fat (or the lack of fat) eaten affects glucose levels after both a high-GI and low-GI meal.

Who was studied? A total of 13 patients with type 1 diabetes (8 women and 5 men) were recruited from the diabetes care unit of the University of Naples Federico II hospital in Naples, Italy.

How was the study done? Study participants consumed three high-GI meals in one week and then switched to three low-GI meals for an additional week. The meals had similar total carbohydrate content but were different in the amount and type of fat eaten. Meals were broken down as follows: 1) low in fat, 2) high in saturated fat (butter), and 3) high in monounsaturated fat (extra virgin olive oil). Participants’ blood glucose levels were measured continuously throughout the study weeks.

What did the researchers find? When patients ate a low-GI meal, the quality and the amount of fat did not significantly affect blood glucose levels after the meal. But when patients ate a high-GI meal, there was a rise in glucose levels soon after eating the meals with butter or low in fat. However, after the meal with extra virgin olive oil, there was no steep rise in blood glucose levels.

What were the limitations of the study? The meals were eaten at home, so the patients were not being directly monitored on what they were eating. This lack of oversight may have affected the reliability of the results. What are the implications of the study? This study shows for the fi rst time that the type of fat eaten significantly affects blood glucose levels after a high-GI meal in patients with type 1 diabetes. Avoiding foods rich in butter and using extra virgin olive oil could help improve your postprandial (after-a-meal) blood glucose levels.

Reference: Bozzetto L, Alderisio A, Giorgini M, et al. Extra-virgin olive oil reduces glycemic response to a high–glycemic index meal in patients with type 1 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2016;39(4):518–524.

Mediterranean diet may help stop breast cancer coming back, study says

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The following is excerpted from an article by Sarah Bosley that appeared in the Guardian on June 5, 2016.

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 that 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 fi sh each week, some red and processed meat and plenty of olive oil. They were allowed up to one alcoholic drink a day.

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 randomized. 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.

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.

“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.”

Reference: Biasini C, Di Nunzio C, Cordani MR, et al. Effect of Mediterranean diet on the prevalence of breast cancer relapse: preliminary results of the “SETA PROJECT.” Ann Oncol. 2015;26(suppl 6):vi4; doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdv336.05. Presented at 17th National Congress of Medical Oncology, October 23–25, 2015, Rome, Italy. http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/suppl_6/vi4.2