Olives and olive oil are commonly consumed in the Mediterranean region, where rates of cancer and other chronic diseases are lower than in other Western countries.
Thus, it’s possible that olives may help reduce your risk of cancer.
This may be partly due to their high antioxidant and oleic acid contents. Test-tube studies reveal that these compounds disrupt the life cycle of cancer cells in the breast, colon, and stomach.
However, human studies are needed to confirm these results. At this point, it’s unclear whether eating olives or olive oil has any effect on cancer.