International conference on the healthy effect of virgin olive oil.

1. Ageing represents a great concern in developed countries because the number of people involved and the pathologies related with it, like atherosclerosis, morbus Parkinson, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, cognitive decline, diabetes and cancer. 2. Epidemiological studies suggest that a Mediterranean diet (which is rich in virgin olive oil) decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease. 3. The Mediterranean diet, rich in virgin olive oil, improves the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as the lipoprotein profile, blood pressure, glucose metabolism and antithrombotic profile. Endothelial function, inflammation and oxidative stress are also positively modulated. Some of these effects are attributed to minor components of virgin olive oil. Therefore, the definition of the Mediterranean diet should include virgin olive oil. 4. Different observational studies conducted in humans have shown that the intake of monounsaturated fat may be protective against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. 5. Microconstituents from virgin olive oil are bioavailable in humans and have shown antioxidant properties and capacity to improve endothelial function. Furthermore they are also able to modify the haemostasis, showing antithrombotic properties. 6. In countries where the populations fulfilled a typical Mediterranean diet, such as Spain, Greece and Italy, where virgin olive oil is the principal source of fat, cancer incidence rates are lower than in northern European countries. 7. The protective effect of virgin olive oil can be most important in the first decades of life, which suggests that the dietetic benefit of virgin olive oil intake should be initiated before puberty, and maintained through life. 8. The more recent studies consistently support that the Mediterranean diet, based in virgin olive oil, is compatible with a healthier ageing and increased longevity. However, despite the significant advances of the recent years, the final proof about the specific mechanisms and contributing role of the different components of virgin olive oil to its beneficial effects requires further investigations.

Tobacco smoking, coffee drinking, and occupation as risk factors for bladder cancer in Greece.

Patients with bladder cancer (250 males and 50 females), consecutively admitted during a 2-year period in the major cancer hospital of Athens, and an equal number of age- and gender-matched comparison patients with orthopedic conditions were interviewed regarding demographic, socioeconomic, and biomedical characteristics, including their occupations and their use of coffee and tobacco prior to the onset of their present disease or condition. Analyses of the data showed that cigarette smoking is an important, statistically significant and dose-dependent risk factor for bladder cancer, particularly in males (tobacco smoking is rare among older Greek women); drinking 2 or more cups of Greek coffee per day appears to be a risk factor for bladder cancer, independent of tobacco smoking, although the association is neither strong nor dose dependent; and a priori specified "high-risk" occupations were associated with an increased rate ratio for bladder cancer among men less than 65 years and among women in general but not among older men. The overall results of this study indicate that the established risk factors for bladder cancer in the United States and in other developed countries are, apparently, equally important for bladder cancer in Greece, despite the differences in composition and conditions of use of Oriental tobacco and Greek coffee and in the activities and exposures to carcinogens in the Greek work place.

Diet and cancer of the stomach: a case-control study in Greece.

A case-control study focusing on the role of diet in the etiology of gastric cancer was undertaken in Piraeus, the sister city of Athens, in a population characterized by ethnic homogeneity but substantial heterogeneity with respect to dietary habits. The case series consisted of 110 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the stomach, admitted to two teaching hospitals during a 3-year period; the control series consisted of orthopedic patients admitted to a nearby hospital for accidents, fractures and other orthopedic disorders, during the same time period. Dietary histories concerning the frequency of consumption (per month or per week) of about 80 food items were obtained by the same interviewer. Cases reported significantly less frequent consumption of lemons, oranges, brown bread, and raw, salad-type vegetables (particularly lettuce, onions and cucumbers) and, independently, significantly more frequent consumption of pasta, beans and nuts. A relative risk of about 40 was found between extreme quintiles when the above 9 food items were combined in a linear risk score. Use of an index constructed from the study material will clearly overestimate the level of risk between the extreme quintiles, but nevertheless the risk differences appear noteworthy, and consistent with the international variation in the incidence of gastric cancer. No significant associations were found with alcoholic beverages, coffee or tea.