New Studies: Mediterranean Nutrition and Exercise reduces cancer risk

Further evidence of the importance of healthy lifestyle and cancer prevention: Two new studies reveal that Mediterranean and exercise reduces the risk of getting the disease.

The Mediterranean nutrition focuses on consuming plant food, fish and healthy fats, and may protect against cancer by reducing inflammatory activity and oxidative pressure, which are considered to be mainly cancer.

Researchers from a number of research institutions from different countries have sought to provide a stronger understanding of the potential protection of the Mediterranean diet in preventing head and neck cancer. To this end, a meta-analysis study analyzed from 11 case-by-criticism that included 6,106 cases of patients diagnosed with a type of head and neck cancer and 9,166 audit cases without the diagnosis of the disease. The study was published in Nutrients in January 2025.

The results indicated that high adherence to a Mediterranean diet is clearly related to reducing the risk of head and neck cancer by 44%. A more targeted surgery of nutritional components has shown that high fruits and vegetable consumption is a significant factor in reducing risk.

Another extensive study among cancer patients stated that exercise reduces the risk of mortality from the disease. The study was published in the journal “British Journal of Sports Medicine” in the new issue.

The study in South Africa examined the relationship between physical activity and aggravation of cancer or mortality among those diagnosed in the first phase of cancer.

The study included 28,248 participants who, between 2022-2008, documented their physical activity by various means, such as exercising devices, signing a presence in gyms or registration for sporting events, in the 12 months preceding their cancer diagnosis. Participants were classified according to activity levels: exercise, low exercise level (an average of 60 minutes or less per week), and moderate to high level of exercise (60 minutes or more per week).

The results of the study showed that in the 24 months after the diagnosis, the risk of aggravated or mortal aggravation among those who are not physical active was 26%at all. In contrast, among those who were active at a low level of activity, the risk dropped to 22% and among those who were active at a moderate or high level-the risk dropped to 20%.

The gaps were also preserved as time passed. 36 months after the diagnosis, those who are not active at all have a 29% risk that the disease will get worse, and the other two groups – low exercise and moderate and high exercise – the risk has dropped to 25% and 22% respectively.

The gap is even more than five years after the diagnosis of the disease, then the risk of non-physically active or mortality is 34%, while in the other groups it stands at 30% low exercise and 28% in moderate and high exercise.