Dr Daniel Winston BDS MSc, principal dentist at Mossley Dental Care, takes a look at how research suggests a link between a Mediterranean diet and oral cancer
A study in the British Journal of Cancer has shown that oral cancer rates are lower in people who eat a Mediterranean diet of lots of fruit and vegetables, cereals, fish and seafood, using olive oil and eating less dairy and meat products with moderate alcohol consumption.
However, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise as cancer rates are generally lower in people who eat ‘healthy’ foods and have a lower body mass index.
Nevertheless, it is helpful that a large scale study has finally been conducted and can help raise awareness of a little talked about cancer whose incident rate is increasing around the world.
It has been known for a long time that eating a Mediterranean type diet reduces the incidence of other diseases, such as heart disease and head and neck cancers.
It is also thought that one in ten cancers are diet related so when we look at the causes of oral cancer we cannot forget how important our diet is.
There are several theories as to what may cause a reduction of mouth cancer in people who eat a Mediterranean diet: fruits and vegetables contain nutrients including minerals, vitamins and antioxidants which are believed to help reduce cell death.
Mediterranean diets also contain higher levels of olive oil which is high in mono-unsaturated fat and also contains antioxidants similar to fruits and vegetables. Other sources of these healthy fats are nuts and avocados which ideally should replace unhealthy oils and fats (such as butter, and vegetable oils).
Fish and seafood are another common food group consumed in the Mediterranean regions which are high in omega 3 oils.
Realistically we are not able to cure cancer with dietary changes alone but does not mean diet should be excluded from medical advice and making simple changes to how you eat could be the difference between developing or not developing the disease.
Changing your diet to accommodate these Mediterranean foods would not be difficult with the wide availability of suitable ingredients in supermarkets.
Prevention is always better than a cure and it is now clear doctors should provide dietary advice along with advice in relation to smoking and alcohol consumption.
Dentists should also be able to provide advice to help reduce a patient’s risk of developing mouth cancer. While they have historically provided dietary advice to minimise the risk of tooth decay they should now be able to offer more comprehensive advice on diet as a whole.
The rates of mouth cancer are rising and a more holistic approach to patient care by dentists would definitely be worthwhile.
Find out more about Mossley Dental Care by calling them on 01457 837361 or visiting their website: www.mossleydental.co.uk
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