Consumption of
olive oil has been related to reduced risk of several diseases, including various
neoplasms. In this paper, we reviewed epidemiological studies on
olive oil and
cancer published up to 2010. We performed a systematic literature search in the Medline database and, after assessment of relevant papers, we included 25 studies providing original data on
olive oil consumption and
cancer risk. We also performed a meta-analysis of studies of
breast cancer, calculating the pooled relative risk (RR), and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), for high vs. low
olive oil consumption. Several studies conducted in Southern Europe reported
olive oil consumption as a favourable
indicator of breast, digestive tract, and particularly upper aero-digestive tract
cancers. For the latter, after adjustment for alcohol and tobacco use, the RRs between extreme levels of
olive oil consumption were 0.3-0.4, and there was an over 5-fold difference in risk between subjects consuming mainly
olive oil and those consuming mainly butter. The summary RR of
breast cancer was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.44-0.88) for the highest vs. lowest level of
olive oil consumption. Thus, preferring
olive oil to other added
lipids, particularly those rich in saturated
fats, can decrease the risk of upper digestive and
respiratory tract neoplasms, breast and, possibly, colorectal and other
cancer sites.