The Mediterranean Diet had already widely praised its benefits. Despite this, scientific research is still fascinated by its extraordinary properties.
In fact, new research published on European Journal of Clinical Nutrition magazinesuggests that its regular consumption may be associated with a reduced mortality not only from cardiovascular diseases, but also from tumors.
The study was carried out as part of the UMBERTO Project, conducted by Joint Platform Umberto Veronesi ETS Foundation – Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the IRCCS Neuromed of Pozzilli (IS)in collaboration with the Clinica Mediterranea Cardiocentro of Naples and the LUM “Giuseppe Degennaro” University of Casamassima (BA).
The objective was to clarify the link between olive oil consumption and the risk of cancer mortality, an aspect that has so far been unclear to epidemiologists.
“The benefits of consuming olive oil are widely documented in the literature, especially in relation to cardiovascular health,” he explains Emilia Ruggiero, first author of the study and researcher funded by the Umberto Veronesi ETS Foundation, “However, little is known about the effects of olive oil in relation to cancer, and most of the available data comes from non-Mediterranean populations. This is why we wanted to investigate the role of this key food of the Mediterranean diet also in relation to cancer mortality.”
The group examined included 22,892 people, of which 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 fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish, and drank less alcohol.
During a period of more than 12 years of follow-up, 2566 deaths occurred, including 939 from cancer, 910 from heart disease and 723 from other causes. Consuming three or more tablespoons of olive oil per day has been associated with a lower chance of death from any cause. Biomarker analysis showed that higher olive oil consumption reduced the risk of mortality 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).
I studyconsidering the eating habits of the participants, revealed that consuming more olive oil is linked to lower mortality rates not only from heart disease, but also from cancers and all other causes of deathregardless of the overall quality of the diet.
“Further studies will certainly be necessary but”, concludes Maria Benedetta Donati, Principal Investigator of the Joint Platform, “These data suggest very interesting hypotheses. In fact, 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. It is a hypothesis that fascinates many researchers: different chronic diseases such as cancer and heart attack could share the same risk factors and the same molecular mechanisms. In other words, there would be a ‘common ground’, or ‘common soil’ in the English formulation, from which these pathologies originate”.
