OLIVE OILS AND HEALTH 170 Of all existing diseases, cancer is the most complex. Multiple factors are involved in its aetiology: genetic, epigenetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. This high level of complexity makes it more difficult to acquire knowledge about the disease. Nevertheless, in recent years, control of cancer has improved considerably in most types, and mortality from this cause has decreased significantly, due to notable advances in research and, consequently, in the diagnosis and treatment of many forms of cancer. According to the “World Health Organization” (WHO), around one third of cancer deaths are attributable to behavioural and dietary risk factors: high body mass index, insufficient intake of fruit and vegetables, physical inactivity, and the use of tobacco and alcohol. 14.2. Diet and cancer The type of diet is an important factor for health, with nutritional imbalances lying at the origin of various diseases. Although the mechanisms by which different dietary factors influence health or disease are not fully understood, there is sufficient scientific evidence of a relationship between dietary habits and health, or with certain diseases, to justify dietary recommendations within public health policies. Moreover, among all environmental factors, dietary ones are of particular relevance, given the continuous exposure to, or deficiency of, certain nutrients to which individuals are subjected through their eating habits. In developed countries, many diseases are the result of excessive food intake, whereas in less favoured countries the opposite is generally the case. In this regard, several diseases have been associated with the type of diet, cancer among them (Figure 14.2).
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