Mediterranean diet linked to longer survival for cancer survivors, study finds

A Mediterranean-style diet may be associated with longer survival among cancer survivors, according to long-running research published in the European Heart Journal. The study tracked 779 Italian adults with a history of cancer who participated in the Moli-sani Study in southern Italy and followed them for an average of about 14 years.

At the start, researchers assessed cardiovascular health using Life's Simple 7, a scoring framework from the American Heart Association that covers seven modifiable factors: smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol and blood glucose. Diet in Life's Simple 7 reflects broad healthy-eating guidelines rather than a named diet. During follow-up, 269 participants died, including 141 cancer deaths, 67 from heart disease and 54 from other causes.

When researchers replaced the generic Life's Simple 7 diet measure with a score reflecting how closely participants followed a Mediterranean-style pattern, the benefits became clearer. Those whose diets most closely resembled a Mediterranean pattern were around 15% to 20% less likely to die during the study, depending on the cause. The Mediterranean diet has previously been linked to lower risks of heart disease and premature death in the general population; the study suggests its benefits may extend to people living with or beyond cancer.

More broadly, researchers found that overall cardiovascular health—measured using the full Life’s Simple 7 score—was strongly linked to survival after cancer. Participants with