According to a study, a diet rich in healthy fats can help prevent cancer.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes olive oil, nuts, and fish, as well as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
It has been linked to numerous health and longevity benefits, including cardiovascular disease.
Now researchers have confirmed that it can improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in patients with skin cancer.
Patients who followed the diet and took medication were more likely to survive up to 12 months without progression.
"Our study supports the role of nutritional strategies in improving patient outcomes and survival," said study author Laura Bolte, a nutritionist at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands.
© Daily Mail Olive oil, nuts, fish, fruit and vegetables and whole grains are part of the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to improve a patient's immune response to drugs already used to treat skin cancer.Researchers from the UK and Groningen University Hospital in the Netherlands followed the diets of 91 patients with advanced melanoma who were taking immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
The drugs have worked particularly well in people with melanoma, the worst form of skin cancer.
Investigators monitor patients and often take X-rays.
Those who followed the Mediterranean diet not only responded better to medication, but were less likely to feel worse a year later.
Studies show that legumes, and especially whole grains, can reduce the risk of side effects of immunosuppressive drugs, such as colitis and colon inflammation.
Conversely, people who eat more red and processed meat have more side effects.
"The relationship between dietary ICI response and the gut microbiome opens up an exciting and promising future for improving therapeutic responses," Professor Bolte said.
Clinical trials looking at high-fiber diets, ketogenic diets, and omega-3 supplements are ongoing.
"These studies may offer therapeutic benefits for many cancer patients in the future, as ICI therapy targets a variety of tumor types, including cancers of the digestive tract."
Attempts to involve different types of tumors in digestive cancer are increasing.
The results will be presented at the 2022 Joint European Gastroenterology Week.
ICI drugs work by blocking immune system checkpoints that force the body's T cells, a type of white blood cell, to fight cancer.
The American Cancer Society reports that the rate of melanoma has increased dramatically over the years.
It is estimated that by 2022, there will be approximately 99,780 new cases of melanoma (approximately 57,180 in men and 42,600 in women).
And about 7,650 people are expected to die from melanoma (about 5,080 men and 2,570 women).
If you are white, you are 20 times more likely to get melanoma.
The risk of melanoma is 2.6% (1 in 38) for whites, 0.1% (1 in 1,000) for blacks, and 0.6% (1 in 167) for Hispanics.
This type of cancer is more common in men, but it is more common in women under the age of 50.
The older you get, the higher your risk of melanoma.
The average age at diagnosis is 65 years, but it is not uncommon in those younger than 30 years.
It is one of the most common types of cancer in young people, especially young women.
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