Eating a Mediterranean diet, rich with plant foods, fish and olive oil, has been found to be good for the heart, the brain and overall health. Now, a new study out of Spain suggests the diet supplemented with olive oil may also reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Researchers randomly assigned more than 4,200 women, ages 60 to 80, to eat either a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or with nuts, or a low-fat control diet.

"We found a strong effect of a long-term dietary intervention with the Mediterranean diet and extra virgin olive oil on breast cancer incidence," said Dr. Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, a researcher at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, wrote in the Sept. 14 Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.

Compared to the control diet group, the Mediterranean plus olive oil group had a 68 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer over a follow-up of about five years. When compared with the Mediterranean diet with nuts, the study found that risks were also reduced but not nearly as much.

During the follow-up, 35 new breast cancer cases were diagnosed.

The women, who joined the study in 2003 to 2009, were all at high risk of heart disease, and their average body mass index, or BMI, was 30, which considered is obese. The authors noted that obesity itself is a risk factor for breast cancer.

The study was done within the framework of a large study called PREDIMED, designed to look at the effect of the diet on heart disease prevention. The authors did note there were limitations in the study, including that breast cancer was not the primary end point and that it was unclear whether the olive oil was beneficial on its own or taken within the Mediterranean diet.

How might the olive oil added to the diet work? Substances in the olive oil, Martinez-Gonzalez speculated, may inhibit the growth of the breast cancer cells and kill abnormal cells, among other potential mechanisms.

The study group adding olive oil were told to eat about 4 tablespoons a day, Martinez-Gonzalez said, and to use it as a spread, for salads and for cooking and frying. Those in the nut group were told to add about an ounce of nuts a day, half walnuts and the other half split between hazelnuts and almonds.

Even though the study was small, it appears the value of the Mediterranean diet to overall health continues to grow in research support. Other strategies for reducing breast cancer risk include eating a diet rich in vegetables, drinking alcohol only moderately, not smoking and undergoing breast cancer screening as recommended by a doctor.

Q and A

Q: It's not always convenient to eat fresh blueberries. How do frozen and dried blueberries compare in nutrition and brain benefits?

A: Frozen berries do not lose their potency, according to studies by Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Ph.D. of Tufts' Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory. For dried blueberries, it depends on how they were dried, she said. High temperatures cause berries to release more anthocyanins, but then they degrade faster. Freeze drying, which does not require heating the berries, preserves their anthocyanin content; in fact, some of the studies on blueberries and cognition have used a powder made from freeze-dried fruit.

Information courtesy of Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter.

Recipe

'Tis the fall season for squash, a vegetable power packed with vitamin A, fiber and carotenoids. This recipe for roasted butternut squash with pecans and sage, from Cooking Light, is low in calories as well.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH PECANS AND SAGE

2 (11-ounce) containers peeled, diced fresh butternut squash

Cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange butternut squash in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned, stirring halfway through cooking. Place butter in a large bowl. Stir in squash, pecans and sage. Toss to combine. Serves 4 (serving size, about 1/2 cup).

Per serving: 134 calories, 2 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 164 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian at Hy-Vee in Springfield, Illinois. For comments or questions, contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @Nutrition Rd. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.