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This week on the Olive Health Information System website
The newsletter of the University of Navarra and the IOC dedicated to health
In recent decades, the health benefits of vegetable oils have gained significant attention from both consumers and researchers. Vegetable oils include those derived from plant seeds (e.g., linseed oil, rapeseed oil), nuts (e.g., peanut oil), fruit flesh (e.g., palm oil, olive oil), and bran (e.g., rice bran oil). A recent umbrella review summarized the existing evidence comparing the benefits of vegetable oils on health. Among them, olive oil showed the most health benefits, including improvements in lipid and glycemic parameters, as well as a reduced risk of stroke and certain types of cancer. Virgin olive oil was associated with additional health benefits, such as antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-inflammatory effects, likely due to its high polyphenol content.
The role of olive oil is further emphasized within the Mediterranean diet, a dietary pattern known for its health-promoting effects. However, when it comes to cancer survivors, the connection between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and mortality remains somewhat unclear. A large recent cohort analysis of cancer survival within the Moli-sani Study, aimed to clarify the impact of the Mediterranean diet on mortality. The analysis found that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower all-cause mortality. Specifically, each 2-point increment in the Mediterranean diet score developed by Trichopoulou et al. was associated with a 16% lower risk. When the analyses were divided by mortality cause (cardiovascular disease or cancer) adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease mortality but not with cancer death. Per 2-point increment in the Mediterranean diet score, the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality was 31% lower. These results suggest that high adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern could reduce the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among cancer survivors.
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