If You're Eating This Way, Your Pancreatic Cancer Risk May Be Lower
If you've ever tried to make sense of cancer-prevention advice, you know how quickly it can turn into a long list of things to eat, avoid, limit, or add. One approach that has consistently earned attention from researchers is the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes foods like vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish, and olive oil.
Now, a new meta-analysis1 on pancreatic cancer adds another piece to the conversation. The researchers wanted to see whether people who followed this eating pattern more closely had a different risk of developing the disease. Here's what they found:
About the review
Smoking, alcohol use, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic health have all been linked to pancreatic cancer risk. Diet is another possible piece of the puzzle, although research on specific eating patterns has been less consistent. Pancreatic cancer can be particularly difficult to treat, which is one reason researchers are interested in finding risk factors that people may be able to change.
The researchers combined data from 14 observational studies, including 12 cohort studies and two case-control studies. Together, the studies looked at how closely people followed a Mediterranean-style diet and whether they later developed pancreatic cancer.
A 10% difference in pancreatic cancer risk
People who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely had a 10% lower risk of pancreatic cancer compared with those whose diets looked least like the pattern. The researchers also found a small drop in risk as adherence scores increased. The association was similar for men and women, and it held up when individual studies were removed from the analysis one at a time.
All 14 studies were observational, so they can show a link but can't prove the diet itself lowered cancer risk. There was also some evidence of publication bias, and previous research on the Mediterranean diet and pancreatic cancer has been mixed. More prospective studies and clinical trials are needed to know whether the relationship is causal.
Making the Mediterranean diet part of your routine
You don't need to follow a strict Mediterranean diet to get started. A one-day meal plan is enough to see what it looks like on your plate. Think of it as a general eating pattern that gives certain foods more real estate, rather than a strict diet that requires cutting calories and specific foods.
- Vegetables and fruit: Add produce to meals and snacks throughout the day
- Legumes: Work in lentils, chickpeas, or beans several times a week
- Whole grains: Choose oats, brown rice, or whole-grain bread when possible
- Nuts: Keep them around for an easy snack or topping
- Olive oil: Use it for cooking, dressings, or finishing dishes
- Fish: Include options such as salmon or sardines a couple of times a week, or consider a high-quality fish oil if fish rarely makes it onto your menu
The takeaway
A review of 14 studies found that people who followed a Mediterranean-style diet most closely had a modestly lower risk of pancreatic cancer. While this is exciting news for pancreatic cancer prevention, the evidence is still observational, so more research is needed to understand the connection.
However, a Mediterranean-style diet is one of the most research-backed ways to support your health, so whether or not it affects your cancer risk, there is truly no harm in trying it. It never hurts to add some more protein and produce to your diet.