The study, published by the European Journal of Cancer, combines two research approaches. First, researchers analyzed data from more than 11,000 Italian women enrolled in the long-running Moli-sani study. Over a 13-year follow-up, they tracked dietary habits and breast cancer incidence.

To strengthen their findings, the team added a systematic review of prior research. They examined 13 observational studies and one randomized clinical trial to assess the consistency of the link between olive oil and breast cancer risk.

By merging original epidemiological data with a comprehensive literature review, the researchers aimed to shed new light on the potential role of olive oil in reducing breast cancer risk.

While the association with overall breast cancer risk remained inconclusive, the results suggested a possible inverse relationship between olive oil intake and the risk of developing relatively rare estrogen-negative and progesterone-negative tumors, which lack estrogen and progesterone receptors.

Estrogen and progesterone receptors are proteins found in or on some breast cancer cells that bind to these hormones.

“Risk factors may vary depending on the type of tumor, particularly based on the presence or absence of estrogen receptors,” Marialaura Bonaccio, a researcher at the Neuromed Mediterranean Neurologic Institute and co-author of the study, told Olive Oil Times.

“In estrogen-positive tumors, the effect of hormones is very strong and may therefore overshadow the influence of diet,” she added. “In contrast, in estrogen-negative tumors, diet and other non-hormonal factors may play a more significant and more easily recognizable role.” 

“Some components of olive oil, such as hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein, appear to interact specifically with mechanisms related to estrogen receptors,” Bonaccio added.

This could help explain why olive oil consumption may have different effects depending on the type of breast cancer, specifically whether these receptors are present or not.

“We cannot speak of a prevention effect [due to olive oil intake], as we do not have solid, incontrovertible data,” Bonaccio said. “On top of that, we’re talking about results from observational studies, a type of research that comes with well-known limitations.”

In observational studies, researchers track what people eat and monitor health outcomes over time.

These studies have significant limitations, such as confounding: people who eat healthier often lead generally healthier lives, making it difficult to isolate the effect of diet alone.

Recall bias is another concern, as participants may misreport their food intake. Reverse causation is also possible; for example, individuals might change their diet because they are already ill.

Since observational studies can only show associations, not cause-and-effect relationships, they must be interpreted with caution and a thorough understanding of their context.

To address these concerns, the researchers adjusted for various factors.

“As shown in the paper, those who consume more olive oil also tend to follow the Mediterranean diet more closely. We accounted for that in our models to help isolate the effect of olive oil per se,” Bonaccio said.

The researchers could not distinguish between different grades of olive oil, such as extra virgin, because the Moli-sani cohort data does not make that distinction.

“That’s why our paper refers generically to ‘olive oil’, even though we know from other research that effects can differ between extra virgin and other types,” Bonaccio noted.

Given that the Moli-sani study was conducted in a southern Italian region with a strong tradition of adhering to the Mediterranean diet and high-quality olive oil production, it is likely that the results primarily reflect the impact of extra-virgin olive oil.

“We can reasonably believe that, as it’s a rooted cultural element, but we don’t have the data,” Bonaccio cautioned.

The cohort questionnaire asked participants whether they used olive oil and how frequently.

One area the researchers could explore was the quantity of olive oil intake associated with potential health impacts.

“What we observed is a very linear association: the more olive oil people consumed, the lower the risk. With each additional tablespoon, set at ten grams, we saw a proportional risk reduction,” Bonaccio said.

Specifically, the data suggest that consuming more than three tablespoons per day is associated with a 30 percent lower risk of overall breast cancer.

However, this result is not considered statistically significant. The confidence interval for the risk estimate included 1.0, meaning the observed reduction could be due to chance. This limits the strength of the finding in scientific terms.

Nonetheless, the trend contributes to a growing body of evidence suggesting a potential protective role of olive oil, particularly against more challenging-to-treat cancers.

“There seems to be a kind of threshold at three tablespoons. When we model it continuously, the relationship stays linear: more oil, lower risk,” Bonaccio said.

“Calories should be considered; one tablespoon of olive oil contains about 100 calories, but not all calories are equal. One hundred calories from olive oil are not comparable to 100 calories from sugar-loaded sodas,” she added.

Bonaccio also pointed out that other studies, such as Spain’s PREDIMED, support these findings.

“In that study, four tablespoons were used as the threshold for high Mediterranean diet adherence, though their tablespoons are 14 grams each. So, in short: it’s preferable to use olive oil as the main dietary fat,” she said.

According to Bonaccio, the current research does not yet provide robust, specific conclusions regarding the relationship between breast cancer and olive oil.

“Adding to that, estrogen- and progesterone-negative tumors are rare, so the numbers available for analysis are limited,” she said. “What we have are indications, data that point in a specific direction, but further investigation is needed.

Bonaccio explained that many breast cancer studies do not include information on receptor status.

“So even the studies we reviewed often only provide data on overall cancer or menopausal status, which are more commonly reported, but not always include receptor information,” she added.

According to the researcher, the following steps should include refining epidemiological tools, such as improving questionnaires and data collection methods.

“In the Moli-sani study, we do have data on how people use olive oil, whether raw, for frying, or for sautéing, to name a few. Including that kind of detail could enrich the analysis,” Bonaccio explained.

“There’s still a lot of work to do. That said, with all due caution, it is interesting to highlight this association between olive oil consumption and reduced breast cancer risk, and hopefully encourage other researchers to analyze their data so we can build on these findings,” she concluded.

These nanoparticles exhibit remarkable potential in combating various cancers, including breast, colon, pancreatic and prostate. The team’s approach aims to enhance effectiveness and broaden the maslinic acid applications in oncology.

Maslinic acid is a naturally occurring compound extracted from the byproducts of olive oil production. It boasts a range of significant health benefits, making it a valuable candidate for medical research.

Among its notable attributes, maslinic acid demonstrates potent antioxidant properties, shielding the body from oxidative stress and mitigating the risk of diseases associated with oxidative damage, such as cardiovascular conditions, cancer, and premature aging.

In addition, maslinic acid exhibits anti-inflammatory effects and is an effective antimicrobial agent against various bacteria and fungi.

This antimicrobial activity aids in combating infections and inhibiting the proliferation of harmful microorganisms within the body. However, maslinic acid’s most distinguishing feature lies in its potential to fight cancer.

Laboratory tests on cells revealed maslinic acid’s promising role as a cancer cell growth inhibitor, promoting programmed cell death (apoptosis) in multiple cancer types, including breast, colon and prostate cancer.

It also impedes angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels nourish tumors. Due to its versatility and therapeutic potential, maslinic acid has garnered substantial interest in the medical and healthcare sectors. Nevertheless, its practical application has been limited due to its low water solubility, measuring at a mere 3.6 micrograms per liter.

The breakthrough the University of Granada researchers achieved involves engineering nanoparticles that significantly enhance maslinic acid’s solubility in aqueous solutions, surpassing one million times its original solubility.

This critical advancement enables the compound’s utilization across various fields. Moreover, these nanoparticles are designed to transport other water-insoluble drugs within them, resulting in a dual antitumor effect – a combination of the maslinic acid’s inherent properties and the potency of the encapsulated drug. This innovation holds great promise for enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatments.

The resulting nanoparticles have a size ranging between 120 and 160 nanometers, exhibit uniform dispersion and remarkable stability and retain their properties for up to six months when stored.

Cell-based assays demonstrated the cytotoxic activity of these nanoparticles against breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines, with lower toxicity observed in healthy cells (fibroblasts).

Additionally, the rapid internalization of these nanoparticles by cancer cells was observed, demonstrating their capacity to transport widely used chemotherapy drugs for pancreatic and breast cancer – paclitaxel and docetaxel, respectively.

Experiments on mice verified the nanoparticles’ non-toxic nature and suitability for intravenous and oral administration.

Notably, oral administration is preferred by patients due to its high acceptability. These nanoparticles are formulated with a polymeric shell that permits the attachment of targeting molecules, facilitating a more selective antitumor treatment, specifically targeting tumor cells while sparing healthy ones.

“We have seen that these nanoparticles, whether administered intravenously or orally, are all able to reach the different organs in the body,” said Juan Antonio Marchal Corrales, a researcher at the University of Granada and co-author of the study. “And, with proper targeting, we could target them directly to tumor cells, but not healthy cells.”

“This is a major leap forward in the search for new therapeutic strategies that produce fewer side effects and that are more selective in the fight against these two types of cancer, mainly triple-negative breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, which are cancers with a high mortality rate,” he added.

This system extends the potential applications of maslinic acid across various domains. These nanoparticles can be combined with different drugs and tailored to suit specific treatment requirements in cancer treatment. This versatility positions the nanosystem as a potent tool in the ongoing battle against cancer.

• Biomed Pharmacother

However, not all olive oil is created equally. Most celebrated health benefits of olive oil belong to a single grade: extra virgin olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is made solely by mechanical methods, without heat or powerful petrochemical solvents used to produce refined olive oil and nearly every other edible oil. As a result, extra virgin olive oil retains the compounds that endow its numerous health benefits.

Thousands of studies have been published linking extra virgin olive oil consumption with a wide range of benefits, from its well-known heart-healthy qualities to more obscure ones, such as increasing testosterone in men with insufficient levels.

But what is it that makes extra virgin olive oil better than the rest? And why exactly is Homer’s “liquid gold” good for you?

Monounsaturated fats promote heart health

For thousands of years, the people of the Mediterranean basin have consumed olive oil as the main source of dietary fat.

Anecdotal evidence suggested they lived longer and healthier lives than their animal-fat-consuming neighbors to the north and across the Atlantic.

In 1958, Ancel Keys, a physiologist at the University of Minnesota, postulated a correlation between people’s diets and the observed incidents of coronary heart disease.

Keys’ landmark Seven Countries Study was the first to suggest that not all dietary fats are created equal.

The study’s findings showed that Greeks had lower rates of heart disease despite their high-fat diet, with olive oil being the main source of fat.

Other countries with high-fat diets from meat had higher rates of heart disease, suggesting that the type of fat consumed made a difference. The findings propelled the Mediterranean diet to popularity and fame outside of the Mediterranean basin.

Olive oil is about 73 percent monounsaturated fat by volume. The other 25 percent is saturated fats (14 percent) and polyunsaturated fats (11 percent).

Monounsaturated fats are fat molecules with fewer hydrogen atoms bonded to their carbon chain and a curved double-carbon bond, which makes them liquid at room temperature.

All fats – from saturated and trans to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated – help the body absorb vitamins and minerals, build cell membranes and are essential for the mechanisms that cause blood clotting, muscle movement and inflammation.

Substituting saturated and trans fat with monounsaturated fat helps to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as ‘bad cholesterol,’ which reduces the risk for heart disease and stroke.

In short, the fat type of extra virgin olive oil is mostly comprised is partially responsible for its cardiovascular health benefits.

Polyphenols are the powerful antioxidants that make extra virgin olive oil superior

While its monounsaturated fat content is certainly one of the main drivers behind olive oil’s heart health, its myriad of other benefits are ascribed to its phenolic content.

Polyphenols are attributed to 99 percent of olive oil’s health benefits, according to Nasir Malik, a plant physiologist at the United States Department of Agriculture’s research service.

Polyphenol is an umbrella term for a class of organic chemicals found in several types of plants and works as a powerful antioxidant. More than 8,000 polyphenols have been identified, and extra virgin olive oil has 25 different polyphenols.

Hundreds of studies over the years have shown that polyphenols are responsible for a range of benefits from lowering the risk of prostate and breast cancer to mitigating the effects of dementia.

What does the latest research say about the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil?

New research on the health benefits of olive oil is constantly being published by both publicly funded and private entities. We’ve included some of the most salient points below to help parse the vast amount of information available on the topic.

Extra virgin olive oil and cardiovascular disease

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally.

In 2019 alone, an estimated 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes. The World Health Organization estimated cardiovascular disease was responsible for nearly one-third of global deaths that year.

However, an April 2020 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology concluded that consuming just a half-table spoon (8.8 milliliters) of olive oil daily could lower the risk of contracting heart disease by 14 percent. Researchers arrived at this result after monitoring health and diet data from 93,000 adults for 24 years.

Although the researchers told Olive Oil Times that it was impossible to know what grade of olive oil the participants consumed (i.e., refined, virgin or extra virgin), they said that the benefits were more likely to have come from EVOO.

Extra virgin olive oil consumption helps to lower the risk of contracting cardiovascular disease in a few key ways.

EVOO improves endothelial function

One small-scale study published by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Center at Yale University in February 2021 found that high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil consumption improved endothelial function in adults at risk of contracting type 2 diabetes.

Endothelial function measures how well blood vessels expand when blood is pumped through them and is an independent predictor for cardiovascular disease.

The polyphenols in the extra virgin olive oil modulated oxidative stress in the blood vessels, lowering inflammation, a common symptom in many heart disease and stroke patients.

Extra virgin olive oil consumption reduces blood pressure

A separate study from researchers in Australia found that consuming four tablespoons (60 milliliters) of high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil “significantly reduced” peripheral and central systolic blood pressure.

Previous research published in The Lancet demonstrated that lowering systolic blood pressure reduced cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure risk.

EVOO lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol and raises ‘good’ cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that circulates in the blood and helps to construct cells, make vitamins and produce hormones. There are two types of cholesterol: LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or ‘good’ cholesterol.

High LDL cholesterol levels are bad for the cardiovascular system because they contribute to fatty buildups in the arteries – known as atherosclerosis – which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

On the other hand, HDL cholesterol carries LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and takes it to the liver to be broken down and removed from the body.

As previously mentioned, the monounsaturated fat in extra virgin olive oil also helps to lower LDL cholesterol.

However, a 2015 study determined that the polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil also play a significant role by preventing HDL cholesterol from being damaged by oxidative stress, which improves its ability to transport LDL cholesterol away from the arterial walls.

Extra virgin olive oil helps regulate blood glucose levels

An estimated 422 million people have diabetes globally. Of these, about 90 percent have type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is caused when cells in the body do not normally respond to insulin, so the pancreas continues to produce more of it to try and elicit a response.

This causes blood sugars to rise to unhealthy levels, leading to other health problems such as heart disease, vision loss and kidney disease.

There is no cure for diabetes, but extra virgin olive oil consumption has been linked to some benefits in diabetic people.

A 2017 study found that participants who consumed high levels of polyphenols had a 57 percent lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes over two to four years.

One of the reasons why the consumption of polyphenols lowered the chances of an individual’s developing type 2 diabetes may be that polyphenols help stimulate insulin secretion, which moves sugar from the bloodstream and deposits it into cells. This keeps blood sugar levels stable.

Furthermore, a 2017 meta-analysis of four cohort studies comprising 15,784 participants found that people who consumed the highest levels of olive oil had a 16-percent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts.

Polyphenol-rich diets are linked to lower fasting blood sugar levels and higher glucose tolerance, reducing the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes.

Olive oil and cancer prevention

Along with cardiovascular disease, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to the WHO, 10 million people died from cancer in 2020.

However, landmark research in 2015 demonstrated that oleocanthal, a polyphenol found in extra virgin olive oil, can disrupt and even kill cancer cells.

Oleocanthal does this by causing a rupture in part of the cancerous cells, which releases an enzyme that causes the cell’s death without harming healthy cells.

EVOO-based treatments show promise in fighting breast and colon cancer

This study had a snowballing effect in the cancer research world and has led to the development of oleocanthal-based treatments against certain forms of breast cancer.

Researchers at the University of Louisiana-Monroe previously found that an oleocanthal-based treatment may suppress the initiation and progression of triple-negative breast cancer, the most deadly kind.

Previous epidemiological studies of Mediterranean populations following a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in extra virgin olive oil found lower cases of breast cancer and colon cancer than other European or North American populations.

A study published in 2014 demonstrated that in a laboratory setting, hydroxytyrosol, secoiridoids and lignans, three types of polyphenols, inhibited the growth of colon cancer cells.

The polyphenols did so by mimicking the signal sent by estrogen receptor β, which is the body’s natural defense against the growth of cancer cells in the colon. The disease only begins to proliferate when the signals this receptor sends fade.

According to the WHO, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the fifth-most deadly. Colon cancer is the third most common and second most deadly.

Mediterranean diet associated with lower risk of bladder and prostate cancer

Since the discovery of the role of polyphenols in fighting cancer development in the mid-2010s, plenty of research has been dedicated to the role of the Mediterranean diet in fighting cancer.

Along with EVOO, the Mediterranean diet includes consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables, seeds and whole grains, many of which contain other polyphenols.

A meta-analysis of 13 studies conducted in 2019 found that medium to high adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet appeared to have a protective effect against bladder cancer.

While the researchers could not isolate any particular food that appeared to be having the desired effects against bladder cancer, experts suggested how the foods combined during digestion and their anti-inflammatory properties played a role in yielding the results.

Consuming a Mediterranean diet has also been associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer in men. Diets high in trans fats and saturated fats lead to oxidative stress in bladder cells, leading to DNA damage. This DNA damage may lead to cell mutations, causing cancerous tumors.

However, the polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil and other foods of the Mediterranean diet have the opposite effect, preventing oxidative stress in these cells and, therefore the development of cancerous tumors.

Extra virgin olive oil and dementia

Researchers warn that by 2050, more than 153 million people could have dementia worldwide, nearly triple that of 2019.

However, lower levels of dementia have been observed in populations living in the Mediterranean region for many years.

Observational and controlled trials have shown that adherence to the Mediterranean diet and extra virgin olive oil consumption is associated with improved memory and cognition in the elderly.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. It begins to occur when deposits of beta-amyloid proteins form plaque in the brain that eventually disrupts nerve cell functions and causes neurons to die.

Laboratory and animal experiments have both demonstrated that oleocanthal promotes the production of two other proteins that play an important role in preventing plaque buildup in the brain.

Further research also showed that oleocanthal modulates the complementary peptide C3a receptor 1 (C3AR1).

In Alzheimer’s patients, C3AR1 overworks and causes inflammation that impairs the function of the innate immune system. The oleocanthal’s anti-inflammatory properties prevent C3AR1 from overworking and reduce the inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

EVOO has other health benefits too

While extra virgin olive oil’s health benefits are most widely associated with mitigating the risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia and preventing cancer, numerous other studies show a range of benefits from its consumption for other parts of the body.

For example, a 2021 study found that following the Mediterranean diet may delay the onset of Parkinson’s disease by up to 17 years for women and eight years for men.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that has no cure. Researchers said that the polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil protect against the disease by reducing oxidative stress in the brain.

Another study published last year showed that diets high in monounsaturated fast, such as the Mediterranean diet, boosted testosterone levels in men with insufficient amounts. Low levels of testosterone in men have been linked in previous studies to depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia.

Researchers in Spain also published a study in 2021 that found systemic lupus erythematosus patients who followed the Mediterranean diet experienced an improvement in the course of the disease.

Lupus, an autoimmune disease, has no cure, but patients who followed the Mediterranean diet had lower rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease, both of which are common comorbidities for patients.

This article section could be extended into a book, if not an encyclopedia. Some studies link adherence to the Mediterranean diet with lower levels of rheumatoid arthritis in smokers, decreased risk of the small for gestational age condition in newborns, improved stress management and restored healthy gut bacteria in the digestive tract, which helps with weight loss.

Summing it all up

Extra virgin olive oil’s monounsaturated fat content and its polyphenols provide innumerable health benefits.

EVOO is the keystone ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. It is no coincidence the eating program was just named the best overall diet for the fifth year running by U.S. News & World Report.

Consuming between one and four tablespoons (18 and 70 milliliters) of extra virgin olive oil per day will begin to provide the many health benefits associated with Homer’s “liquid gold.”

However, extra virgin olive oil is far from a silver bullet. To enjoy its health benefits, extra virgin olive oil consumption should be part of a nourishing diet along with plenty of exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices (i.e., drinking alcohol in moderation, not smoking and finding ways to destress).

Where to find the best extra virgin olive oil

The retail finder on the Official Guide to the World’s Best Olive Oils makes it easy to find award-winning extra virgin olive oils near you or through online retailers.

Many would point to extra virgin olive oil as a prominent source of monounsaturated fats, which is associated with weight loss and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, among other benefits.

However, Nasir Malik, a plant physiologist at the United States Department of Agriculture’s research service, said olive oil’s health benefits are almost entirely derived from a class of organic chemicals known as phenolic compounds – or polyphenols.

“The health benefits of olive oil are 99 percent related to the presence of the phenolic compounds, not the oil itself,” he told the Washington Post in 2012.

What are polyphenols?

Polyphenol is an umbrella term for a large family of naturally occurring plant compounds comprising multiple phenol units acting as antioxidants.

There are 8,000 types of polyphenols and more than 100 different types of foods with at least one milligram of polyphenols per 100 grams or milliliters of food or beverage. These vary widely from fruits and vegetables to whole grains and seeds.

According to Phenol-Explorer, a database, 25 polyphenols are found in extra virgin olive oil. Of these 25, the most significant are tyrosols – including oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and oleocanthal.

Polyphenols are found most abundantly in extra virgin olive oil, and some polyphenols are present in virgin olive oil.

Refined olive oil only has trace amounts of the polyphenols, which are removed during the refining process and added back in when the refined oil is blended with small quantities of virgin or extra virgin olive oil before it is bottled sold.

Polyphenols lower heart disease risk

Polyphenols have been linked in hundreds of studies to various health benefits.

Chief among these health benefits is lowering the risk of heart disease, mainly due to their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help reduce chronic inflammation, the primary risk factor for heart disease.

Two recent studies – one published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and the other in the Journal of Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity – linked polyphenol-enriched diets to lower blood pressure and LDL (low-density lipid) cholesterol, colloquially known as ‘bad cholesterol,’ and increased levels of HDL (high-density lipid) cholesterol, or ‘good’ cholesterol.

The consumption of polyphenols has also been associated with lowering the risk of blood clots by preventing excess platelet aggregation.

Polyphenols decrease diabetes risk

Along with providing benefits for heart health, polyphenols have also been shown to lower blood sugar levels, which decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

A 2017 study published in the British Journal of Medicine found that participants eating large amounts of polyphenol-rich foods had a 57-percent lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes over two to four years than people who consumed very low amounts of polyphenols.

One reason may be that polyphenols help stimulate insulin secretion, which helps move sugar from the bloodstream and deposit it in the cells. This keeps blood sugar levels stable.

Polyphenol-rich diets are also linked to lower fasting blood sugar levels and higher glucose tolerance, which are essential for reducing the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes.

Polyphenols may help cancer and dementia patients

Though researchers are the first to admit that many more studies need to be done on the subject, polyphenols have also been linked to a lower risk of prostate and breast cancer.

Some studies conducted on the subject suggest that polyphenols block the growth and development of these types of cancer cells.

As a result, a separate study suggested oleocanthal-based treatments may be effective as part of targeted therapy for some types of breast cancer patients.

The researchers behind this study also found that oleocanthal regulates abnormalities in a receptor responsible for the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

In Alzheimer’s patients, the receptor becomes over-stimulated and promotes inflammation. Therefore, researchers hypothesize that oleocanthal may regulate the receptor and decrease inflammation.

Polyphenols restore gut bacteria

Along with helping prevent certain chronic diseases, some scientific studies also show that high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which helps with digestion.

One study demonstrated that adherents to the Mediterranean diet, which includes polyphenols from several of its components besides olive oil, had a more diverse gut bacteria associated with better weight management.

Polyphenols also add plenty of flavor to EVOO

Along with endowing extra virgin olive oil with its many health benefits, polyphenols also contribute to the flavor profiles of the oil.

The presence of polyphenols contributes to astringency, bitterness and pungency. Depending on the types of olives and when they are harvested will impact which of these attributes can be sensed in an EVOO.

Astringency is the puckering sensation created by tannins, a type of polyphenol. Astringency is associated with early harvested and robust extra virgin olive oils. Astringency is mostly noticed when tasting the oil on its own and is less apparent when cooking with an EVOO.

On the other hand, bitterness – due to oleuropein – is one of the less sought-after flavors in most foods but is an excellent indicator that an extra virgin olive oil has been made with fresh olives. As with certain types of beer, chocolate and coffee, bitterness is an acquired taste, the appreciation of which comes over time.

Meanwhile, pungency is the stinging sensation in the throat, mostly associated with oleocanthal. Occasionally the sensation, similar to that of chili peppers, is strong enough to force a cough.

Tips for selecting high-polyphenol EVOO

While few brands list the polyphenol contents of their EVOOs directly on the label, there are a few tricks to finding high-polyphenol EVOO at any store or market.

The first is to check the label to see if the olives were harvested early. Polyphenols accumulate in the olives earlier than the oil and steadily decrease as the fruit matures. Therefore, an early harvest extra virgin olive oil has more of them.

Next, consumers should keep their eyes peeled for Coratina, Cornicabra, Maurino, Picual and Mission monocultivars or Tuscan blends. These olive varieties have the highest levels of polyphenols.

Additionally, olives harvested in temperate climates instead of arid ones also have higher levels of polyphenols. This is likely due to the olives’ maturation rate in these specific climates.

Finally, if none of this information is readily available, select robust EVOOs over mild or delicate ones. The oils are robust (as previously discussed) due to the presence of polyphenols.

Where can I find the best extra virgin olive oil?

The retail finder on the Official Guide to the World’s Best Olive Oils makes it easy to find award-winning extra virgin olive oils near you or through online retailers.

This highly aggressive form of breast cancer, which is defined by the lack of ER, PR and HER2 expression genes, is pathologically aggressive with a high risk of recurrence, making the disease difficult to control.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2021, with an estimated 44,130 deaths occurring as a result.

However, Khalid El Sayed, the lead author of the study and a cancer researcher at the university, believes that oleocanthal may hold the key to reversing the disease’s unfavorable prognosis.

He told Olive Oil Times that epidemiological studies with Mediterranean populations following a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in extra virgin olive oil have a lower incidence of colon and breast cancers than other European or North American populations. The presence of oleocanthal in extra virgin olive oil may be the reason why.

“Since 2011, we have been developing oleocanthal as a suppressor [for TNBC], which lacks effective targeted therapies, unlike other breast cancer phenotypes,” El Sayed said.

“TNBC is the most fatal breast cancer type,” he added. “We began with validating results in cell cultures, identifying molecular targets and validating activity in nude mouse models.”

The latest study investigated the ability of an oleocanthal-xylitol formulation to suppress the initiation and progression of breast cancer by using advanced preclinical transgenic mouse models.

A comparison was carried out on the molecular signature of oleocanthal treatment using the transgenic mouse model and a human patient-derived xenograft, an experimental model in which human cancer cells are transplanted into immunodeficient mice.

This exposed overlapping affected genes in both models, providing solid evidence for oleocanthal as a specific treatment for selected TNBC patients. The results of the study showed that the oleocanthal-xylitol administered had the effect of suppressing tumor growth. Structural changes in the tumor were also observed.

The differences among the affected genes were identified through gene expression, showing an overlap between mouse and human tumor models. This enabled El Sayed and his team to understand the oleocanthal anticancer molecular mechanism better and predict prospective clinical outcomes.

The study further provided molecular and preclinical evidence demonstrating the potential of oleocanthal as a nutraceutical, which may be applied to control TNBC.

El Sayed said that this has helped pave the way for clinical testing of oleocanthal in humans.

“Chemical and biological stability of oleocanthal was maintained, and anti-TNBC activity was achieved with models from actual patients,” El Sayed said. “[We received] insights on molecular mechanisms and their effects against TNBC in humans, narrowing the gap in clinical validations of the anti-cancer effects of extra virgin olive oil phenolics.”

“This study means oleocanthal is nearly ready for clinical testing in human TNBC patients and survivors,” he added. “We plan to compete for the Phase II funding [from the National Cancer Institute] award this year, which will put us several steps forward for human clinical trials.”

El Sayed hopes that using oleocanthal as a nutraceutical will have fewer side effects than other anti-cancer drugs while still demonstrating a high efficacy.

“Our main concern is the safety and efficacy of any nutraceutical interventions, as anti-cancer pharmaceuticals have side effects,” he said. “We do not want to see oleocanthal nutraceuticals causing even 10 percent of these side effects.”

“The advantages of the long-term use of oleocanthal by TNBC patients include its cost-effectiveness due to its sustained plant supply, high level of safety, which is based on the long human history of extra virgin olive oil consumption, and its novel molecular mechanism,” El Sayed concluded.

• Nutrients
• American Cancer Society

The funds will be used to research the preventative and therapeutic benefits of oleocanthal in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) recurrence. Around 50,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with TNBC annually.

A new, safe and effective recurrence inhibitor is urgently needed as the current outlook for TNBC patients is bleak due to high recurrence rates, poor overall survival rates and ineffective available treatments.

Oleocanthal experts Khalid El Sayed and Amal Kaddoumi, who are the company’s chief scientists and researchers at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, co-authored a 2017 study which revealed that oleocanthal was effective in preventing cancer and Alzheimer’s disease in mice and had the potential to become an effective dietary supplement for reducing the risk of developing both conditions.

El Sayed told Olive Oil Times the nutraceutical will be made available to patients once the team has established the desired potency and efficacy of the oleocanthal formulation for preventing TNBC recurrence. He said that further funding would be sought to prepare the formulation for clinical trials on humans.

“[I would] certainly recommend consumption of high-quality extra virgin olive oil daily for not only breast cancer survivors and patients but also for normal healthy people to maintain a condition of well-being based on the significant positive health outcomes documented by several clinical trials and epidemiological studies,” he said.

His recommendation was an average daily consumption of around 20 to 50 milliliters of olive oil per day, depending on an individual’s health and the quality of olive oil consumed. He advised new consumers of olive oil to start with smaller amounts (five to 10 milliliters) and gradually increase the daily dose over time.

• Oleolive

The researchers have confirmed the chemopreventive properties that hydroxytyrosol might have in the treatment of this disease.

Hydroxytyrosol is a type of phenolic phytochemical with antioxidant properties and is considered one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. Its oxygen radical absorbing capacity value is one of the highest found in plants.

See Also: Olive Oil Health News

Hydroxytyrosol naturally occurs in olive plants and is mostly found in its leaves, extra virgin olive oils and table olives, in the form of elenolic acid ester oleuperin.

Triple-negative breast cancer is a very aggressive type of breast cancer characterized by a low survival rate, a high proliferation and heterogeneity of cancer cells and a high metastatic probability. It represents approximately 10 to 20 percent of all breast cancers.

The study, whose findings were recently published in the European Journal of Nutrition, was done to determine the impact of hydroxytyrosol on the breast cancer stem cells responsible for the reappearance of tumor metastasis.

Various in-vitro triple-negative breast cancer cell lines were used for the research, which reported for the first time the inhibitory role of hydroxytyrosol on breast cancer stem cells and tumor cell migration, through the alteration of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and embryonic signaling pathways.

The findings revealed that hydroxytyrosol acts directly upon breast cancer stem cells, reducing their number and aggressiveness as well as inhibiting their capacity to multiply.

“We report for the first time the inhibitory role of hydroxytyrosol on breast cancer stem cells and tumor cell migration by targeting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, Wnt/β‑catenin and transforming growth factor beta signaling pathways,” Marina Cruz-Lozano and Adrián González-González, the study’s co-authors, wrote in the report.

“Our findings highlight the importance of the chemopreventive compound hydroxytyrosol as a novel candidate to be investigated as an alternative targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer.”

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Jaén’s Hospital Unit for the Clinical Management of Medical Oncology with the support of Granada’s Center of Genomics and Oncology Research.

Since 2015 this research group, led by Dr Sergio Granados, has been working on the search for biomarkers related to the appearance of metastasis, tumor reappearance and resistance to therapeutical treatment using stem cells as the axis of investigations.

The group believes that these pursuits might help design new specific and personalized treatments, mainly for triple-negative breast cancer patients. In 2015 the group succeeded in inhibiting gen ATF4, which contributes to metastasis.

The research findings on hydroxytyrosol are the basis of a clinical trial currently being conducted at the Houston Methodist Hospital, which studies the effects that this compound has on the prevention of breast cancer in high-risk patients. Additionally, they serve as as foundation for testing hydroxytyrosol in xenographic animal models derived from triple-negative breast cancer patients.

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The discovery opens up promising new possibilities for directly targeting cancer stem cells (CSC), an aggressive type of cancer cell often responsible for relapse in cancer patients.

The study was led by Javier Menendez, head of the Metabolism and Cancer group, a joint initiative by the Catalan Institute of Oncology’s (ICO) ProCURE program and the Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI).

Five years ago, Menendez and his team started the long task of searching for new molecules with anti-CSC properties. Their method was inspired by the techniques used by pharmaceutical companies when developing new oncological drugs, first isolating and purifying the molecules before testing the effects in tumor stem cell cultures.

Investigators screened molecules to check whether they were capable of affecting the functionality of cancer stem cells, including their resistance to oncological drugs and their ability to generate new microtumors. They found these characteristics in decarboxymethyl oleuropein aglycone (DOA), a phenol-conjugated oleoside that is present in minute quantities in cold-pressed EVOO.

“Our hypothesis is that this component of olive oil, which represents no more than 2 percent of its weight but which is made up of more than 200 different components, can be used as a natural goldmine of information about new chemical structures capable of inhibiting molecular functions that are necessary for CSC,” said Menendez.

Menendez and his team found that the DOA oleoside simultaneously attacked proteins responsible for metabolism (mTOR) and epigenesis (DNMT). This dual metabolo-epigenetic mechanism effectively suppresses the functional properties of tumor stem cells, inhibiting their ability to reinitiate tumor formation.

After the initial testing phase, researchers successfully tested the molecule in lab animals. Menendez confirmed that “exposure of the cancer stem cells to specific oleosides during just a few hours was enough to completely inhibit their capacity for initiating the formation of tumors in laboratory animals.” The groundbreaking study was published in the respected medical journal Carcinogenesis, part of the Oxford University Press Group.

The third phase of the project was carried out in partnership with Mind the Byte, a bioinformatics company that specializes in drug development using novel methods such as artificial intelligence. With their help, researchers were able to map out the mechanism of action of the anti-CSC molecules. The researchers have already registered an international patent and are working on creating new molecules that mimic the anti-CSC effects of the oleosides.

For their efforts, Menendez and his colleagues received the Luis Vañó Award for Research Related to the Olive Oil Industry, presented on April 16 in Jaén by the University of Jaén in collaboration with the University of California Davis.

• Carcinogenesis


• El Punt Avui


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Scientists know that a high consumption of onions is associated with a reduced risk of several types of cancer. Moreover, as this vegetable is a part of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), it may be partially responsible for the low incidence of the disease in Southern Europe. Researchers Murayyan and Suresh Neethirajan at the University of Guelph wanted to ascertain which variety of onions has the most anticancer properties.

In the study published in the journal Food Research International, they tested the effects of five kinds of onions on human colon cancer cells and found Ruby Ring onions had the highest efficacy in fighting the disease.

“Our study confirmed that red onion varieties are more potent in inhibiting cancer cells than other onion varieties,” Suresh Neethirajan told Olive Oil Times. “They showed a 3.5- to 4‑fold increase in the number of cells undergoing apoptosis (cancer cell death), compared to the other types.”

What is so special about red onions? While all varieties of the vegetable contain a high quantity of an anticancer flavonoid called quercetin, red onions are also rich in anthocyanin, a compound that boosts the scavenging properties of quercetin, explained Murayyan.

“Anthocyanin is instrumental in providing color to fruits and vegetables, so it makes sense that the red onions, which are darkest in color, would have the most cancer-fighting power,” added Murayyan.

Neethirajan also shared how the healthful compound in onions fights cancer.

“Free radicals in the human system can lead to cancerous cells that could develop into tumors, and they increase the risk of diabetes or heart disease if left unheeded,” he said.

“The quercetin molecules in onions attract and neutralize the free radicals. A hallmark of cancer cells is their ability to avoid apoptosis. By triggering apoptosis in abnormally dividing cells, cancer cells and metastasis can be put in check. Onion-based flavonoids are best at triggering apoptosis. Out of 28 vegetables and nine fruits, onions lead in quercetin content.”

In addition to the current discovery, the researchers recently found onions were effective at eradicating breast cancer cells. Next, they plan to evaluate the vegetable’s anticancer effects in human clinical trials.

Although it can be beneficial to put red onions in salads and hamburgers, the team believes onion extract will be added to food products such as juice or baked goods in the future. They also anticipate that it will be sold in pill form as a nutritional supplement for fighting cancer.

• Food Research International


• University of Guelph

Oestrogen-receptor negative (ER-negative) breast cancer is an aggressive form of postmenopausal breast cancer. It accounts for around a third of all breast cancers. ER-negative is harder to treat than other forms of breast cancer as it can’t be treated with hormone therapy. ER-negative breast cancer sufferers have low survival rates.

Panagiota Mitrou, director of research funding at the World Cancer Research Fund told the Telegraph “This important study showed that following a dietary pattern like the med diet could help reduce breast cancer risk — particularly the subtype with a poorer prognosis.”

The results of the study revealed that participants who adhered to a strict Mediterranean diet reduced their risk of developing ER-negative breast cancer by around 40 percent.

Lead researcher, Piet van den Brandt told the Telegraph, “Our research can help to shine a light on how dietary patterns can affect cancer risk. We found a strong link between the Mediterranean diet and reduced oestrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer risk.”

The Netherlands Cohort Study which looked at the effects of diet on cancer was carried out by Maastricht University and funded by the World Cancer Research Fund. The trial tracked over 60,000 women aged from 55 to 69, for a period of 20 years.

Emma Pennery, clinical director at the UK charity Breast Cancer Care told the telegraph, “This study adds to evidence that a healthy diet full of ‘good’ low saturated fats plays a part in lowering risk of the disease.”

The Netherlands Cohort Study was the latest research to conclude that a Mediterranean diet is conducive to preventing cancer. Diet has long been recognized as one of the major risk factors for developing breast cancer and other forms of the disease.

Results from a 2016 trial in Italy, showed a lower rate of breast cancer relapses among women who had adhered to a Mediterranean diet. In the trial, 307 women who had been treated for early breast cancer were given the choice of following their normal diet or switching to a Mediterranean diet.

199 of the participating women opted to follow a Mediterranean diet, which included plenty of extra virgin olive oil. The remaining 108 women stuck to their normal diet. After three years it was found that 11 of the women who had eaten a normal diet had suffered a relapse. None of the women who followed a Mediterranean diet suffered a recurrence of the disease.

A 2015 study by Toledo and Colleagues indicated that the risk of getting invasive breast cancer was reduced by 68 percent in people who consumed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with EVOO.

This latest study into the effects of the Mediterranean diet adds to the growing body of findings that a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil is an effective weapon against cancer.

• The Telegraph


• Olive Oil Times

Though the full paper has not yet been released. Preliminary results from a case-control study, published in the Annals of Oncology, included 307 women diagnosed with breast cancer and taken for treatment at the Department of Oncology-hematology, Hospital of Piacenza (Italy). Following treatment of breast cancer, participants were given the choice to follow their normal diets, or accept additional dietary advice to reduce their risk of breast cancer relapse.
See Also: Olive Oil and Women’s Health
The two dietary interventions were therefore, a normal diet or a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet). The MedDiet consisted of high intake of fruit (3 pieces day), vegetables (4 serves day), fish (4 or more servings per week), whole grains (one serve day), and the inclusion of generous amounts of extra virgin olive oil. The women were also able to consume one alcoholic beverage per day. The normal diet consisted of whatever participants had been eating, with the addition of advice on healthy eating from a dietitian. There were 199 participants in the normal diet group and 108 in the MedDiet group.

An in-depth blood sample was collected from participants to assess glucose, cholesterol, various vitamins, minerals and hormones, inflammatory markers, and metabolites. They were required to complete quality of life and physical activity questionnaires.

The results after the preliminary follow-up of 3 years show that the MedDiet has reduced the risk of cancer recurrence. In the normal diet group, a total of 11 participants relapsed, while in the MedDiet group there was zero relapse or recurrence observed. Due to the results from blood test vitamin levels showing higher levels of B‑carotene and pro-vitamin A in participants following the MedDiet, researchers have been very curious about the impact these results could suggest, that diet does, in fact, have a great influence on cancer activation and reactivation.

Such results are not limited to these new preliminary results, as a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, based on evidence conducted within the framework of the Predimed trial, looked at 4,282 postmenopausal women with three different dietary interventions and found the risk of invasive breast cancer was reduced by 68 percent in those that consumed a MedDiet supplemented with EVOO, while there were no such effects for a MedDiet with nuts or a low-fat diet. This study established that the benefits were attributed to increasedextra virgin olive oil intake, each additional 5 percent of calories consumed fromextra virgin olive oil reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer by approximately 28 percent.

Though it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions at this stage, the preliminary evidence has raised the question on exactly what dietary advice should be recommended to people with cancer, or more importantly, those recovering from cancer. Longer studies that include more participants will now be needed to confirm these results.

• Annals of Oncology


• The Guardian


• JAMA Internal Medicine

The results, based on the long-term follow-up of 4,282 women, aged 60 to 80 years enrolled in the PREDIMED trail, add to the benefits of consuming extra virgin olive oil and the Mediterranean diet. The PREDIMED trial, conducted in Spain from 2003 to 2009, was designed to test the benefit of supplementing Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts in preventing cardiovascular disease.

In the present study, investigators evaluated the effects of supplementing the Mediterranean diet with eitherextra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts on risk of breast cancer.

The subjects enrolled in the study were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention groups: the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil; the Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts; or the control Mediterranean diet.

To ensure adherence to the intervention diets, subjects on the Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil were provided with 1 liter of EVOO/week, while those in the mixed nut group were provided with 30 grams of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds per day. Participants in the control diet group were provided dietary training to reduce dietary fat intake.

Results of the study showed that subjects on theextra virgin olive oil supplemented Mediterranean diet had a 62 percent lower risk of developing malignant breast cancer than subjects on the control diet. Subjects who consumed higher amounts ofextra virgin olive oil lowered their risk of malignant breast cancer even more.

The positive effect of extra virgin olive oil could be due to the presence of polyphenols such as oleuropein, oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol and lignans inextra virgin olive oil that have been identified as anticarcinogenic agents. These polyphenols exhibit anti- proliferative action on the expression of human oncogenes, prevent oxidative damage to DNA in mammary epithelial cells, inhibit tumor growth and cause apoptosis of breast cancer cells in laboratory experiments.

Although statistically nonsignificant, subjects on the Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts also had a lower risk of malignant breast cancer compared to the control group. However, when results of both intervention diet groups were combined, risk of malignant breast cancer was reduced by 51 percent. Only 35 cases of malignant breast cancer were identified during the course of the randomized trial.

While these results are encouraging, the authors acknowledge that the study has limitations, one of which is that these results are a secondary analysis of the PREDIMED trial that was designed to study effect ofextra virgin olive oil and mixed nuts intervention of the Mediterranean diet on prevention of cardiovascular risk.

Another limitation is that the study was conducted on women who habitually consumed the Mediterranean diet, which is known to be protective against breast cancer due to the high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and olive oil. Researchers of the paper recommend more studies to confirm these findings.

• JAMA Internal Medicine

A research project at the University of Louisiana at Monroe looking at the natural compounds of olive oil has made remarkable progress in the field of cancer research.

Under the direction of professor of pharmacy Khalid El Sayed, Katherine Gary, a fourth-year student, has been recognized as the first person to isolate oleocanthal in olive oil with a 95 percent purity rate.

Oleocanthal is a naturally-occurring phenolic compound that has been linked with anti-inflammatory and other disease-fighting properties.

Oleocanthal was discovered after Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center likened the sharp taste of certain oils to anti-inflammatory medications. Together with scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the researchers were able to isolate the phenol compound deacetoxydialdehydic ligstroside aglycone, and named it oleocanthal.

Scientists at UL-Monroe have been looking at oleocanthal as a c‑Met inhibitor. According to El Sayed, “c‑Met enhances cell growth, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis; reduces apoptosis; and changes cytoskeletal functions of many tumors.”

Katherine Gary and the research team at UL-Monroe hope to introduce an oleocanthal therapy in the form of a dietary supplement that will slow the effects of cancer and enhance the effects of chemotherapy and other anti-cancer drugs.

The experimental supplement has already proven effective during animal testing.

Gary has won two awards for her breakthrough in isolating oleocanthal. El Sayed’s team has reportedly received nearly $2 million to support the research.

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• Olive Oil Times

Science shows that certain lifestyle factors including diet can decrease breast cancer risk. In regards to diet, previous research points to the protective effect of a plant based diet similar to the Mediterranean diet.

In this study researchers from the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, evaluated whether the degree of adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern modifies breast cancer risk amongst Greek-Cypriot women. This study is the first investigation of dietary effects on breast cancer risk in Cyprus, a country whose population has traditionally adhered to the Mediterranean diet.

Over 1,700 women were included in the study; of those 935 were women with a history of breast cancer and 817 controls, all participating in the MASTOS study. MASTOS (Greek for “breast”) was the first and to date largest Breast Cancer case–control study to be carried out in Cyprus, with the aim of describing the frequency of established and recognized risk factors for breast cancer among Cypriot women.

Information on dietary habits and intake was collected using questionnaires as well as information on demographic, anthropometric and lifestyle factors. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern was assessed using two different scores.

The results of the study showed that although there was no association with breast cancer risk for either score regarding adherence to the Mediterranean diet, higher consumption of vegetables, legumes, fish and olive oil, were independently associated with decreased risk.

However the researchers noted that it was important to consider that individuals do not consume single foods, but combinations of several foods that contain both nutrient and non-nutrient substances, and conclusions about the effect of consumption of a single nutrient or food group, on a specific health outcome may be misleading.

The lesson learned here: Eat plenty of vegetables, fish, and beans with olive oil to reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Sources:

BioMed Central Cancer
An investigation of breast cancer risk factors in Cyprus: a case control study
The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics

“We have studied the effects of four compounds present in the olive skin; erythrodiol, ovaol, maslinic acid and oleanolic acidon with human breast cancer cells and the results show that the compounds have the potential to provide a natural defense against breast cancer,” researchers noted.

In a unanimous decision, the awards committee chose the project from among eight other research projects.  The winners will receive €6,000 ($7,984) in prize money.  The University of Jaén will publish their work in a monograph.
José J. Gaforio, Immunology Division, Department of Health Sciences, University of Jaén
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“The results of this research has an important social and economic impact on Spanish society. Highlighting the healthy properties of olive oil is an element of the first order to encourage their use in other countries,” Gaforio told Science Watch.

Family-run olive oil company Castillo de Canena sponsored the award to encourage and stimulate scientific research and technological knowledge of olives and olive oils. The award was named in honor of Luis Vañó, president of Castillo de Canena and of the Spanish Arab Bank.

The award ceremony will be held on December 2 at the Castillo de Canena estate in Jaén.

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Researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona decoded a complete cascade of signals within breast tumor cells activated by virgin olive oil, and concluded that benefits include decrease in the activity of the oncogene p21Ras, changes in protein signaling pathways, stimulation of tumor cell death and prevention of DNA damage. The study was carried out in an experimental model and researchers have already begun a new study with human cell lines.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Western countries. Research carried out with animal models demonstrate that a diet rich in fats is directly related to the incidence of cancer. Some types of fats however can play a protective role against the development of these tumors.

Such is the case of virgin olive oil, rich in oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fatty acid, and containing several bioactive compounds such as antioxidants. A moderate and regular intake of virgin olive oil, characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, is associated with low incidences of specific types of cancer, including breast cancer, as well as with having a protective role against coronary diseases and other health problems.

The study carried out by UAB researchers decoded the mechanisms operating within the tumor cell and induced by the intake of olive oil, in comparison to those activated by corn oil, rich in n‑6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which increase the aggressiveness of tumors.

Scientists demonstrated that virgin olive oil is associated with higher incidences of benign breast tumors and at the same time with a decrease in the activity of the p21Ras oncogene, which spurs uncontrolled cell proliferation and stimulates the growth of tumors.

In addition, olive oil suppresses the activity of some proteins, such as the AKT, essential for the survival of cells since they prevent apoptosis, the cell’s “suicide” programme. Between proliferation and apoptosis in tumor cells, these effects tip the balance towards cell death, thereby slowing the growth of tumors.

Another result obtained by researchers is the protection of DNA in the cell nucleus. Cells from animals fed a diet rich in virgin olive oil contained less DNA lesions than those fed a control diet.

Scientists of the UAB Breast Cancer Study Multidisciplinary Group (GMECM) have spent over twenty years working to determine the effects fats have on breast cancer, and in particular the effects of virgin olive oil.

Previous studies of the group revealed the beneficial effects of this component of the human diet on the clinical conduct of mammary tumors and on their histological grade (malignancy). Scientists also described several molecular mechanisms producing these effects and in 2004 the same group was the one to identify the four genes involved in the effects dietary fats have on experimental breast cancer. The mechanism recently discovered was published in the journal Carcinogenesis.