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The Association Between Adherence to Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND Diets and the Risk of Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Iranian Women

17 April 2026

Bakhshimoghaddam F, Mohtadi N, Haghighatkhah A, Javid AZ, Zadeh MR, Razzaghi S, Moradpour M, Razmi H.

Summary

What the study found

This research investigated how closely following the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets relates to breast cancer risk among Iranian women. The study revealed that high adherence to any of these three dietary patterns is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer.

Key findings

  • Women with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet experienced a 75% reduction in breast cancer odds.
  • High adherence to the DASH diet was linked to a 76% lower risk, representing the most significant reduction observed in the study.
  • Participants most closely following the MIND diet saw a 72% decrease in the likelihood of developing breast cancer.
  • The protective associations were not statistically significant when researchers analyzed menopausal status subgroups individually, likely due to the smaller group sizes.

Practical takeaways

Prioritizing a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats while limiting processed foods may serve as a powerful modifiable factor for cancer prevention. Because all three dietary patterns showed similar protective effects, you can choose the specific healthy eating style that best aligns with your personal food preferences and lifestyle.

Limitations

The case-control study design means researchers can identify associations but cannot definitively prove that these diets cause a lower cancer risk. Additionally, the small sample size within the pre- and postmenopausal subgroups may have masked significant findings for those specific stages of life.

Abstract

<h4>Purpose</h4>Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women worldwide. This study was aimed at investigating the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets and the odds of developing breast cancer.<h4>Methods</h4>A hospital-based case-control study was conducted with 106 histopathologically confirmed breast cancer cases and 107 age-matched controls. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 147-item food frequency questionnaire. Adherence scores for the MD, DASH, and MIND diets were calculated and categorized into tertiles. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs), adjusting for age, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, physical activity, education, employment, and family history of cancer.<h4>Results</h4>After full adjustment, compared to the lowest tertile, women in the highest tertile of MD, DASH, and MIND diet adherence had a 75% (OR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.10-0.64), 76% (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.09-0.62), and 72% (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.11-0.75) reduced odds of breast cancer, respectively. All trends were statistically significant. However, stratification by menopausal status revealed no significant associations within pre- or postmenopausal subgroups.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Greater adherence to the MD, DASH, and MIND diets is associated with a substantially lower likelihood of breast cancer in Iranian women. These findings highlight the potential of healthy dietary patterns as a modifiable factor for breast cancer prevention in this population.
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