UAB( Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona) and the “Organización Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva Españo” have entered into a research agreement to carry out an in depth study on the effect of olive oil on breast cancer. The Multidisciplinary Group on Breast Cancer Research (GMECM),has been involved in this research before and have shown that moderate intake of virgin olive oil can slow down the spreading of this cancer due to the action of mechanisms which counterattack possible harmful effects of fats, while an excessive intake of seed oils can have a damaging effect .The aim of GMECM has been to determine the possible beneficial or risk factors of some common components of human diet on breast cancer.
The current study is expected to take about five years and will be directed by Dr Eduard Escrich, lecturer of the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology.It will continue to study the effects olive oil on this type of cancer, with experimental studies and with human cell lines and samples. Among the research studies to be carried out, some of the most prominent focus on the effects fats and oils can have on mammary tumours, and especially those of extra virgin olive oil, and an analysis of the molecular changes found in these tumours in all of the genome and in the specific genes implicated in this pathology.
Pure, extra virgin olive oil is not only a light and delicate addition to many wonderful dishes, it is one of the most health-promoting types of oils available. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that researchers are discovering has excellent health benefits. The health benefits of virgin olive oil are numerous like:
Olive oil has been found to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Oleic acid, the main monounsaturated fatty acid in olive oil, has been shown to reduce the expression of the Her-2/neu oncogene, which is associated with the aggressive growth of breast cancer tumors. High levels of Her-2/neu are found in one-fifth of breast cancers, especially those that are resistant to treatment.
In this study, when Menendez and his colleagues from Northwestern University in Chicago exposed two strains of aggressive breast cancer cells to oleic acid, levels of Her-2/neu dropped 46%. When they combined oleic acid with lower levels than are normally used of Herceptin, a drug used to treat breast cancer, oleic acid greatly enhanced the effectiveness of the drug, dropping Her-2/neu expression as much as 70%. The end result: oleic acid promoted the apoptotic cell death (suicide) of aggressive, treatment resistant breast cancer cells.
A human study adds to the evidence that olive oil is a key factor in the lowering of breast cancer risk associated with a Mediterranean diet. Results of this two-year long study involving 755 women in the Canary Islands suggest that monounsaturated fat and, specifically, olive oil exert a protective effect against breast cancer.
Study participants consuming the most monounsaturated fat were found to have a 48% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women whose intake of monounsaturated fat was lowest.
Among women consuming the most olive oil, specifically, the risk of breast cancer was even lower. Compared to those consuming the least olive oil, women whose daily intake of olive oil was at least 8.8 grams, the equivalent of just .65 tablespoon/day, had a 73% lower risk of breast cancer risk!
The research tasks of GMECM have earned it numerous recognitions in the past few years, including prizes from the Medical Sciences and Health Academy of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, the Spanish Society of Senology and Mammary Pathology, and those awarded recently to Dr Escrich: The International Award of “Santiago Dexeus Font” Foundation for his professional trajectory in the field of research in Mastology, the Picudo Award for his research into olive oil and health, and the FECOES National Nutrition Prize for his contributions to the studies into the effects of nutrition on breast cancer. Dr Escrich was also made member of the Mare de Déu de l’Olivera Brotherhood of the Santa Maria del Mar Basilica of Barcelona.