Olive oil may reduce breast cancer risk
A team of scientists at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain found a key mechanism by which virgin olive oil protects the body against breast cancer, in contrast to other vegetable oils.
The researchers decoded a complete cascade of signals within the cells of breast tumors that are activated by virgin olive oil. They concluded that the oil reduces the activity of p21Ras, an oncogene, prevents DNA damage, encourages tumor cell death, and triggers changes in protein signaling pathways.
The team found that while corn oil – which is rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids – increased the aggressiveness of tumors, virgin olive oil had the opposite effect.
They demonstrated that virgin olive oil is linked to a higher incidence of benign (non-cancerous) breast tumors.
