Olive oil reduces the risk of cancer mortality.The study of the Veronesi Foundation

Scholars from the joint Fondazione Umberto Veronesi-Neuromed platform observed that a daily consumption of three tablespoons of olive oil is associated with a reduced risk of cancer mortality.

• The beneficial effects of olive oil are known for cardiovascular diseases, but less so for tumors.
• A study by the Veronesi-Neuromed Foundation Platform investigated this aspect by analyzing the data of 23 thousand Italians.
• It emerged that the highest consumption of olive oil reduces the risk of cancer mortality by 13.7 percent.

Several studies associate the consumption of olive oil at reduced mortality rates for cardiovascular diseases;now, new research has observed its positive impact also in reduce cancer mortality.

The study, published inEuropean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was created by PJoint platform Umberto Veronesi Foundation - Irccs Neuromed, in collaboration with the Clinica Mediterranea Cardiocentro of Naples and the Lum “Giuseppe Degennaro” University of Casamassima (Ba), as part of the UMBERTO project for the prevention of tumors.

The study on the association between olive oil consumption and cancer mortality

The scholars analyzed data from almost 23 thousand Italians, men and women with average age 55.4 years, participants in the Moli-sani epidemiological study, which have been followed for over 12 years and for which detailed information was available food consumption. It was observed that a greater consumption of olive oil is associated with lower mortality rates not only for women cardiovascular diseases, but also for tumors And for all causes, regardless of the overall quality of the diet.

Specifically, study participants had an average olive oil consumption of 23.3 grams per day. Greater consumption, equal to or greater than three tablespoons per day (approximately 30 g) of olive oil, was found to be associated with a lower incidence of all causes of death.Overall, from the analysis of inflammatory, metabolic, cardiovascular and renal biomarkers, it emerged that the higher consumption of olive oil reduced the association with mortality from all causes and from cancer by 21.2 percent and respectively by 13.7 percent.

Olive oil confirms itself as a central element of the Mediterranean diet

According to scholars, the reduction in cancer mortality appears to be explained, albeit partially, by an improvement in the profile of some risk factors typically linked to cardiovascular diseases.The hypothesis is that various chronic diseases such as tumors and heart attacks could share the same risk factors and the same molecular mechanisms.

The connection still needs to be explored further, just as we could investigate how the effect of olive oil on human health changes based on the product type et al different content of bioactive compounds, like the polyphenols.In any case, the authors of the study underline the importance of add the olive oil, a central element of Mediterranean diet, in daily eating habits.