The Mediterranean Diet and Skin Cancer

In the May 2020 issue of Shape magazine Marnie Schwartz tells us that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, like the Mediterranean diet, helps prevent all cancers, including skin cancer. Citing a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, she tells us that women who followed the Mediterranean diet had a 17 percent lower risk of all skin cancer and a 28 percent lower risk of melanoma. The Mediterranean diet, inspired by the eating habits of Greece and Italy, includes a high proportion of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and olive oil, regular consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (and wine) and low consumption of meat. The diet also includes seafood, nuts and seeds. Antioxidants in foods favored by the Mediterranean diet may help neutralize free radicals generated by sun exposure thereby reducing inflammation, Omega-3 fatty acids in fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds may help counteract immune system suppression caused by sun exposure, and carotenoids in tomatoes may help your skin block UV rays all protecting against skin cancer.