Research

Mixed

Extra-virgin olive oil polyphenols (e.g., oleocanthal, oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol) exhibit anticarcinogenic properties in vitro and in animal models by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation.

Consume extra-virgin olive oil regularly to benefit from its polyphenols, which have shown anticarcinogenic mechanisms in lab studies. Focus on high-quality, phenol-rich EVOO.

LimitedSupportsLOW confidence
Over the last few years, many in vitro and animal studies have demonstrated that olive oil phenolics (alcohols and secoiridoids) possess anticarcinogenic properties... Several mechanisms have been investigated, including inhibition of angiogenesis, of proliferation and invasion, induction of apoptosis, and anti-inflammatory actions.
José J. Gaforio et al. · Nutrients · 2019

Why this rating

Based on in vitro and animal studies, which the paper notes may not extrapolate well to human physiology due to high concentrations used.

Source

Virgin Olive Oil and Health: Summary of the III International Conference on Virgin Olive Oil and Health Consensus Report, JAEN (Spain) 2018

José J. Gaforio et al. · Nutrients · 2019

DOI 10.3390/nu11092039

narrative_reviewCited 178×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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