Italian scientists looked at the diets of more than 5,000 women and compared their rates of womb cancer.
They found that those who consumed between seven and nine Mediterranean diet foods lowered their risk of developing the disease by 57%.
Women who stuck to six elements of the diet experienced a 46% reduction in risk while for others who managed five the chances of developing the disease fell by 34%.
Previous research has found that a Mediterranean diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, fish and olive oil can also cut the long-term risk of heart disease (Nick Ansell/PA)
Women whose diet included fewer than five Mediterranean diet components did not lower their risk of womb cancer significantly compared with average.
The Mediterranean diet elements included vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals, potatoes, fish, monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, dairy products, and a moderate amount of alcohol, but little meat.
Lead researcher Dr Cristina Bosetti, from IRCCS-Instituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche, said: “Our research shows the impact a healthy balanced diet could have on a woman’s risk of developing womb cancer. This adds more weight to our understanding of how our every day choices, like what we eat and how active we are, affect our risk of cancer.”
Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at the charity Cancer Research UK, said: “While we know that getting older and being overweight both increase a woman’s risk of womb cancer, the idea that a Mediterranean diet could help reduce the risk needs more research. This is partly because this study was based on people remembering what they had eaten in the past.”