They drink ouzo, don't they?

The Mediterranean diet--that's what one web site says can help prevent cancer.  But what does that mean beyond "eat more fruits, vegetables and nuts"?  Are they including pizza?  After all, Italy is on the Mediterranean, isn't it?  I don't see much reference to the types of carbs people eat--I didn't think Mediterranean countries were big on whole grains.

Red wine, apples, broccoli, tomatoes, avocados, citrus fruits when consumed in large quantities (?).  Did I mention red wine?  That's what one web site says can help prevent melanoma.

Most skin cancer-related websites don't even mention diet--they just focus on protecting the skin from the sun.  But I'd like to do more--it hopefully can't hurt and may help.

Here's the dietary run-down after scanning several websites and articles that do mention diet and melanoma:

Antioxidants can help protect the skin from harmful sun effects--foods include fish, beans, carrots, pumpkin, broccoli, green tea.  I'm leaving out foods I'm not going to eat, like chard.

Apegin (a flavenoid, whatever that is) may help prevent melanoma from forming, according to an article on Livestrong.com; foods with apegin include onions, broccoli, celery, tomatoes, apples, cherries, grapes.  Tea and wine also contain apegin.  (Article wasn't specific--green tea and red wine?)

Resveratrol is a flavonoid, also found in red wine, which may inhibit the formation of melanoma (according to the same Livestrong.com article, written by Sara Ipatenco (June 12, 2011).  "Adding a glass of red wine to your daily diet is one way to increase your consumption of this beneficial antioxidant."  I'm already on the case--switched from one glass of white to one glass of red each day.

Tumeric, an ingredient in curry, has certain anti-cancer propertie.  Same Livestrong article--she in turn is citing the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).

Carotenoids are found in deep green and yellow/orange foods--carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, as well as dark green vegetables.  May help prevent development and growth of melannoma.

The one rigorous study I found (googling "diets that prevent melanoma") says the most consistent result was that "greater intake of carotenoids are associated with decreased risk for melanoma, while greater alcohol intake may increase the risk for the disease."  So there you go--supporting my assertion that the more research you do, the more confused you'll get.  (The study is "Diet and Melanoma in a Case-Control Study" Amy E. Millen et. al. (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention June 2004 13; 10420.

I only read the abstract of the above study, but I see no indication that the authors controlled for the type of alcohol consumed.  So I'm holding out hope that the red wine drinkers may have had different (better) outcomes than the beer drinkers (for example).

And the UMMC website (last updated May 7, 2013, so much more current than the 2004 study) cites resveratol as a substance that may help protect the skin from sun-related damage.  In addition to apigenin, curcumin (tumeric), and resveratrol, the UMMC website also cites Quercetin--a flavonoid (there's that word again!) found in apples and onions--as a skin-protecting substance.

Guess I'll start eating those cantaloupe chunks they give me with my quesedilla.