The Consumption of Olive Oil as an Ally in the Prevention of Many Forms of Cancer

Recent research shows that olive oil consumption reduces the risk of cancer by 31%. Of particular importance for our country is the role of nutrition - in general and olive oil in particular - as a risk factor or protective factor for cancer. The role of the Mediterranean diet has emerged as important, since a meta-analysis of 21 prospective studies (1,368,736 individuals) and 12 case-control studies (62,725 individuals) demonstrated that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of mortality/incidence of cancer overall, colorectal, prostate, and esophageal/pharyngeal cancer, while subsequent meta-analyses confirmed the associations, extending them to breast, liver, head and neck, and stomach cancer. The protective role of olive oil as a component of the Mediterranean diet is noteworthy, given that a meta-analysis by the scientific team of the professor at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Theodora Psaltopoulou, has already reported a protective effect on the risk of cancer in general, as well as on cancers of the breast and digestive system. A recent meta-analysis by the same research team with 45 studies showed that higher consumption of olive oil was associated with a 31% lower probability of any cancer, and particularly a lower probability of breast, gastrointestinal and urinary system cancers. Theodora Psaltopoulou is an Internist, Professor of Epidemiology - Preventive Medicine, at the Therapeutic Clinic, Medical School, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).