Women who eat a largely Mediterranean-style diet are significantly less likely to be diagnosed with womb cancer, according to a new study.Research led by doctors from the IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche analysed the diets of more than 5,000 Italian females to find out how what they ate influenced their health in the future.For the purpose of the investigation, a Mediterranean diet was classed as an eating plan featuring lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, pulses, fish, cereals, potatoes and monounsaturated fats, but only small amounts of meat, dairy products and alcohol, meaning there were nine categories for the doctors to measure in total.It was found that women who adhered with between seven and nine of these eating rules were 57 per cent less likely to develop womb cancer than those who did not follow a Mediterranean-style eating plan.Females who stuck to six elements of the diet had their likelihood of being diagnosed with the disease lowered by an average of 46 per cent, while those who complied with five were 34 per cent less likely to develop womb cancer.In contrast, the women who only stuck to five or fewer components of the Mediterranean diet did not see their risk of being diagnosed with the condition lowered significantly, indicating that such an eating plan may be hugely beneficial in reducing womb cancer risk.Head of health information at Cancer Research UK Dr Julie Sharp commented: 'While we know that getting older and being overweight both increase a woman's risk of womb cancer, the idea that a Mediterranean diet could help reduce the risk needs more research.'Cancer risk is affected by our age and our genes, but a healthy lifestyle can also play a part in reducing the risk of some cancers.'Figures show that around 8,500 cases of womb cancer are identified every year in the UK, with the rate of diagnoses increasing by approximately 50 per cent over the past 20 years.
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