Maintaining heart-healthy habits, including following a nutritious dietary pattern, may be linked to longer survival even after a cancer diagnosis, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal.
The study analyzed data from adults who had already been diagnosed with cancer and were followed for up to 15 years as part of Italy’s large, population-based Moli-sani Study. Researchers found that people who adhered more closely to established cardiovascular health guidelines had a significantly lower risk of death over time than those with less healthy patterns.
The analysis included 779 Italian men and women with a history of cancer. At enrollment, participants’ health behaviors and risk factors were assessed using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 score, which reflects seven factors linked to cardiovascular health: diet quality, physical activity, smoking status, body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels.
Participants with healthier overall scores had a 38% lower risk of death from any cause compared with those with poorer cardiovascular health profiles. Each one-point increase in the Life’s Simple 7 score was also associated with a 10% lower risk of cancer-related mortality.
“Our study shows that a score based on traditional cardiovascular risk factors, already validated in the general population, can also predict better survival in people with a history of cancer,” said Marialaura Bonaccio, the study’s first author and co-principal investigator at the I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed Epidemiology and Prevention Unit. “Adopting healthy habits such as eating well, exercising regularly and maintaining an adequate body weight provides concrete support for those who have faced or are currently facing this disease.”
Diet played a notable role in the findings. When researchers replaced the standard diet component of the Life’s Simple 7 score with adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the association between healthier behaviors and survival became stronger. The Mediterranean dietary pattern emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish and olive oil, and is commonly consumed in Southern Europe.
The researchers stress that the study does not prove that diet or lifestyle changes directly improve survival after cancer. Instead, the findings highlight an association between overall cardiovascular health, including eating patterns, and long-term outcomes in people living with or beyond cancer.
Further analyses suggested that shared biological pathways may help explain the connection. Lower levels of chronic inflammation, more favorable heart rate patterns and differences in vitamin D status appeared to account for part of the relationship between healthier lifestyles and reduced mortality.
“These results reinforce the idea that healthy lifestyles and primary prevention are not only effective in reducing the risk of chronic diseases in healthy individuals but also in improving prognosis and quality of life in people who have already faced cancer,” said Licia Iacoviello, head of the Epidemiology and Prevention Unit at Neuromed and a co-author of the study.
Researchers described the findings as support for a growing body of evidence suggesting that cardiovascular disease and cancer share common biological mechanisms. Addressing those shared risk factors through diet and other modifiable behaviors may offer benefits across multiple aspects of long-term health.
This research was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health and by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development through the project “Good nutrition for Healthy lifE—GONHE.”