As one of the main products of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil has long attracted scientific interest for its health effects. A new research, recently published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that its regular consumption may be associated with reduced mortality not only from cardiovascular diseases, but also from cancer.
The study was carried out within the framework of the UMBERTO Project, conducted by the Joint Platform Umberto Veronesi Foundation ETS – Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the I.R.C.S. Neuromed in Pozzilli (IS), in collaboration with the Clinica Mediterranea Cardiocentro of Naples and the LUM ‘Giuseppe Degennaro’ University of Casamassima (BA). The research work was conducted with the unconditional contribution of the Monini company.
The aim was to clarify the link between olive oil consumption and the risk of cancer mortality, an aspect hitherto unclear to epidemiologists.
“The benefits of olive oil consumption are widely documented in literature, especially in relation to cardiovascular health. However, little is still known about the effects of olive oil in relation to cancer, and most of the available data come from non-Mediterranean populations. This is why we also wanted to investigate the role of this pivotal food in the Mediterranean diet in relation to cancer mortality, using data collected from the Moli-Sani study, one of the largest population cohorts in Europe’.
Emilia Ruggiero, first author of the study and researcher funded by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi ETS at the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of IRCCS Neuromed
The studied group comprised 22,892 people, including 11,976 women and 10,916 men with an average age of 55.4 years at the time of inclusion in the study, who on average consumed 23.3 grams of olive oil per day. Those who consumed more olive oil reported fewer chronic health problems, consumed more fruit, vegetables, legumes and fish, and drank less alcohol.
During a follow-up period of more than 12 years, 2566 deaths occurred, of which 939 from cancer, 910 from heart disease and 723 from other causes. Consuming three or more tablespoons of olive oil per day was associated with a lower probability of death from any cause. Biomarker analysis showed that higher consumption of olive oil reduced the risk of death from all causes and cancer by 21.2% and 13.7%, respectively, compared to lower consumption (less than or equal to one and a half tablespoons).
“These results,” commented Marialaura Bonaccio, Co-Principal Investigator of the Joint Platform, “confirm the benefit of regular consumption of olive oil for cardiovascular health, which is associated with a quarter reduction in deaths due to cardiovascular disease. But the most interesting finding is that, compared to consumption of less than one and a half tablespoons, daily consumption of olive oil in quantities of 3 tablespoons or more is associated with a reduction in the risk of cancer mortality’.
Further studies will undoubtedly be needed but, concludes Maria Benedetta Donati, Principal Investigator of the Joint Platform: ‘These data suggest very interesting hypotheses. Indeed, the reduction in cancer mortality appears to be explained, albeit partially, by an improvement in the profile of certain risk factors typically linked to cardiovascular diseases. It is a hypothesis that fascinates many researchers: different chronic diseases such as cancer and heart attack could share the same risk factors and molecular mechanisms. In other words, there would be a ‘common ground’, or ‘common soil’ in the English formulation, from which these diseases originate’.
