This week on OHIS

This week on the Olive Health Information System website

The newsletter of the University of Navarra and the IOC dedicated to health

To date, numerous studies have explored the remarkable health benefits of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), which prominently features olive oil.

A recent study explored the relationship between extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) consumption and the reduced risk of death in a group of Italian adults following the MedDiet. Over the course of 17 years, researchers tracked the dietary habits and health outcomes of participants. They divided the participants into three groups based on their EVOO intake: less than 30 grams per day, 30-50 grams per day, and more than 50 grams per day.

The results showed that moderate to high EVOO consumption significantly lowered the risk of death from any cause, especially cancer. For example, those who consumed 30-50 grams of EVOO daily had a 24% lower risk of all-cause mortality, and those who consumed more than 50 grams had a 20% lower risk. The most striking reduction was observed in gastrointestinal cancer mortality, with a 60% lower risk in the highest EVOO consumption group. Other types of cancer also saw a 50% reduction in mortality for those in the highest consumption group.

These findings highlight the strong protective effects of EVOO, especially against cancer, making it an essential part of a health-oriented MedDiet.

Moreover, the MedDiet has been proved to be beneficial for many other diseases, including chronic pancreatitis (CP). Researchers investigated whether adherence to the MedDiet could reduce the risk of CP, a condition that has not been extensively studied in relation to diet. Using data from 190,790 participants in the UK Biobank who were free of CP at baseline, researchers assessed participants’ diets and their adherence to the MedDiet. Participants’ adherence to the MedDiet was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). During an average follow-up of nearly 11 years, 214 cases of CP were identified. Those with the highest MedDiet adherence had a 43% lower risk of developing CP compared with those with the lowest adherence. Interestingly, metabolic status explained only a small portion (4.74%) of this protective effect, and inflammation (as measured by C-reactive protein) was not a significant mediator. These results suggest the potential of the MedDiet to help prevent CP, further reinforcing its benefits for long-term health.

Other articles mentioned this week in the OHIS newsletter:

Olive Oil

Effect of the Mediterranean Diet Supplemented With Olive Oil Versus the Low-Fat Diet on Serum Inflammatory and Endothelial Indexes Among Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Controlled Trials.

Association between olive oil consumption and all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality in adult subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Assessing the Impact of Ghee, Olive Oil and Margarine on Male Rabbit Fertility and Reproductive Hormones.

Cognitive and mental health

Dietary interventions in mitigating the impact of environmental pollutants on Alzheimer’s disease – A review.

Cardiometabolic health

Glycemic control contributes to the neuroprotective effects of Mediterranean and green-Mediterranean diets on brain age: the DIRECT PLUS brain-magnetic resonance imaging randomized controlled trial.

Protective Effect of High Adherence to Mediterranean Diet on the Risk of Incident Type-2 Diabetes in Subjects with MAFLD: The Di@bet.es Study.

Cancer

Protective Effect of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on Cancers, Gastrointestinal Cancers, and All-Cause Mortality: A Competing Risk Analysis in a Southern Italian Cohort.