Association between Mediterranean diet and gastric cancer: Results of a case-control study in Italy: Emanuele Leoncini

Background

High Mediterranean diet adherence is associated with reduced risk of overall cancer mortality as well as a reduced risk of incidence of several cancer types, especially cancers of the colorectum, breast, and head and neck. However, only a few studies investigated the association between gastric cancer risk and adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

Methods

A case-control study was conducted at the Gemelli Hospital of Rome, Italy. A total of 226 cases and 444 controls were interviewed. Dietary intake was assessed through a validated food frequency questionnaire that collected information on over 25 food items. A Mediterranean diet score was used to evaluate the level of adherence to the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern. Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for increasing levels of the score using multiple logistic regression models.

Results

We reported a reduced risk of gastric cancer for increasing adherence to Mediterranean diet (OR = 0.86; CI: 0.77-0.96). Risk estimates were consistent across strata of age and gender. With reference to single specific components of the Mediterranean diet, we also found a high consumption of fruit (OR = 0.75; CI: 0.67-0.84), vegetables (OR = 0.64; CI: 0.53-0.75) and legumes (OR = 0.87; CI: 0.66-0.98) to be significantly associated with lower risk of gastric cancer.

Conclusions

Our study showed that following a Mediterranean dietary pattern may have beneficial effects on gastric cancer risk. Data on the association between Mediterranean diet and gastric cancer risk, although scarce, are promising. Efforts towards the prevention of gastric cancer by dietary recommendations could directly lead to substantial reduction of morbidity.

Key message:

• High adherence to Mediterranean diet may be associated with gastric cancer