One in three women have suffered physical or sexual violence. With contributions from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, we look at how this shadow pandemic affects every corner of the world.
Gender
The Mediterranean diet can protect women from uterine cancer
An Italian study published in the British Journal of Cancer reveals that women who eat a Mediterranean diet show a reduced risk of developing uterine cancer.
A team of researchers led by Cristina Bosetti of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, discovered that a healthy and balanced diet such as the Mediterranean diet, helps protect women from endometrial cancer, halving the chances of developing it.
Bosetti’s team analysed the diets of over five thousands Italian women to determine how well they followed the Mediterranean diet according to nine components: daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, wholegrain cereals, potatoes, fish and polyunsaturated fats; moderate intake of alcohol, meat and dairy products.
Women who had followed at least seven of the nine “criteria” of the Mediterranean diet showed a 57 percent reduced risk of uterine cancer; those who adopted six of them, a 46 percent reduced risk, while those women who had respected five criteria had a 34 percent reduced rispk of developing this disease.
Women who followed less than five components did not have a significantly decreased risk of uterine cancer. According to researchers, the reduced risk for women to develop this disease is due to the large amount of antioxidants, fibres and “good” fats in which the Mediterranean diet is particularly rich.
The Istanbul Convention against gender-based and domestic violence marks its tenth anniversary. We look at what it is, who its signatories are, and what the future might hold.
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