Mediterranean diet and risk of breast cancer

AbstractIn 2020, breast cancer became the most common cancer diagnosis worldwide, affecting 2.3 millionindividuals (11.7% of all new cases) and surpassing lung cancer. The disease caused 685,000deaths that year, ranking fifth in cancer-related mortality. The rate of breast cancer has increasednotably in recent decades, especially in areas such as Europe. Identifying risk factors andimplementing primary prevention strategies are essential to address this upward trend.Recent studies have established a link between specific foods and nutrients and breast cancer risk.The Mediterranean diet (MD) has long been associated with health benefits, and epidemiologicalresearch suggests it may lower cancer risk. However, its specific relationship with breast cancerrisk in premenopausal and postmenopausal women remains unclear. Our aim is to explore howfollowing a Mediterranean dietary pattern may affect the risk of developing breast cancer in thesepopulations.