Olive oil reduces cancer risk

A recent study at the University of Edinburgh concluded that oleic acid, the primary ingredient found in olive oil, may help prevent cancer of the brain. The research discovered that oleic acid improved the body’s ability to prevent cancer-causing genes from functioning in cells. 

Commenting on the findings to the Indo Asian News Service, lead researcher Gracjan Michlewski said, “While we cannot yet say that olive oil in the diet helps prevent brain cancer, our findings do suggest that oleic acid can support the production of tumour-suppressing molecules in cells grown in the lab.”

The study looked into the effect that olive oil had on the cell molecule miR-7, which is found in the brain and is known to suppress tumours. The researchers found that olive oil, or more specifically, oleic acid, prevents the cell protein MSI2, which stop’s the body’s ability to produce miR-7. The scientists concluded that this helped prevent the formation of tumours. 

The findings, which were published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, were taken from research into human cell extracts and living cells in a laboratory.
“Further studies could help determine the role that olive oil might have in brain health,” said Michlewski.