Olive oil compounds fight colon cancer in-vivo

Compounds in olive oil appear to protect against colon cancer, one of the most common forms of the disease in the Western world.

A number of epidemiological studies have linked consumption of olive oil with a reduced risk of cancer and researchers are increasingly investigating this association further in laboratory studies.

But while a recent report from the US suggests that one of the oil's fats - oleic acid - could be responsible for protecting against breast cancer, the latest research, by a team at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, suggests that a mixture of compounds in virgin olive oil, called phenols, could protect against colon cancer.

Writing in the 20 October issue of the International Journal of Cancer (vol 117, issue 1, pp1-7), the researchers say their tests on in vitro cell models also pointed to mechanisms by which olive oil may reduce the risk of this cancer.

"We have demonstrated that phenols extracted from virgin olive oil are capable of inhibiting several stages in colon carcinogenesis in vitro," write the researchers in the journal report.

Courtesy of nutraingredients.com