http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6195895.stm

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Olive oil 'can cut cancer risk'

Olive oil

The researchers used three types of olive oil

Adding plenty of olive oil to a diet could help protect against cell damage

that can lead to cancer, experts say.

 

A study of 182 European men found those who had 25 millilitres of olive oil

per day had reduced levels of a substance which indicates cell damage.

 

The Danish team said it may explain why many cancer rates are higher in

northern Europe than the south, where olive oil is a major part of the diet.

 

The study is in the Federation American Societies for Experimental Biology.

 

By-products

 

The Copenhagen University Hospital researchers looked at 182 healthy men

aged between 20 and 60 from five European countries.

 

 

These data provide evidence that olive oil consumption explains the

difference in cancer incidence between north and southern Europe

Dr Henrik Poulsen

Copenhagen University Hospital

 

The scientists added either virgin, common or refined olive oil to their

diets over two weeks.

 

At the end of study, scientists measured levels of the substance which

indicates oxidative damage to cells, called 8oxodG, in the men's urine.

 

Oxidative damage is a process whereby the metabolic balance of a cell is

disrupted by exposure to substances that result in the accumulation of

free-radicals, which can then damage the cell.

 

The men were found to have around 13% less 8oxodG compared with their levels

at the beginning of the study.

 

At the beginning of the study, men from northern Europe had higher levels of

8oxodG than those from southern Europe, supporting the idea that olive oil

had a reductive effect.

 

North-south difference

 

Olive oil contains a number of compounds, called phenols, which are believed

to act as powerful antioxidants.

 

 

More long-term research is needed to confirm these effects

Dr Anthea Martin, Cancer Research UK

 

But the Danish researchers said the men in the study used the three

different oils, which had different levels of phenols, so that was unlikely

to explain the protective effect.

 

They said that, instead, the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were probably

behind the effect.

 

The scientists, led by Dr Henrik Poulsen, wrote in the FASEB journal: "These

data provide evidence that olive oil consumption explains the difference in

cancer incidence between north and southern Europe."

 

Dr Anthea Martin, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said:

"The effect of diet on cancer risk is very complex because of the many

different components of the food we eat.

 

"Although this study suggests that olive oil can reduce DNA damage that

could lead to the development of cancer, more long-term research is needed

to confirm these effects."

 

She added: "We do know that a healthy, balanced diet, including plenty of

vegetables and fruit and limited amounts of red and processed meat, can help

reduce the risk of cancer.