Olive oil benefits

By ROGER DOBSON, Daily Mail

New research today shows that olive oil - which the Ancient Greeks believed had supernatural powers - protects against bowel cancer.

Scientists who carried out the research based on eating habits in the UK and 27 other countries, believe that the oil triggers an increase in the number of times the cells of the bowel lining renew themselves. They also found that in those with diets high in meat content, the renewal process slowed down.

The results of the research give yet another health benefit for an oil that is now thought to be helpful in more than a dozen conditions.

It's also now believed that antioxidants, such as vitamins E and K, and polyphenols found in the oil, provide some kind of defence mechanism that may help to delay ageing, and prevent atherosclerosis, as well as boosting the immune system.

Just why olive oil is so beneficial, compared with other vegetable oils, is not yet known. One theory is that it is because the traditional cold-production process for virgin olive oils, which involves only pressing and filtering, does not destroy the health-enhancing compounds.

Bowel cancer: Research today from the University of Oxford shows that olive oil decreases the amount of bile acid and promotes the constant relining of the bowel. Other researchers have shown that people who get their fat from olive oil can halve their chances of getting colon cancer, which is Britain's second biggest cancer killer.

When scientists at the University of Barcelona fed olive oil to one group of rats and then tried to induce bowel tumours, only half as many developed cancer compared with those in a group which had not been given the oil.

Heart disease: The first real clue to the positive health effects of olive oil was the realisation that people with a Mediterranean diet rich in it had a much lower rate of heart disease than those in Western countries, including the UK and America.

A 30-year study on Crete, where the average islander gets through 60lb of olive oil a year, confirmed the effects. It's thought that the oil, which is rich in monounsaturated fat, helps to prevent the oxidation of 'bad' cholesterol.

Ageing: Researchers in Israel have reported that it is effective in delaying the human ageing metabolism. Vitamin E is thought to be responsible for this anti-ageing effect on both skin and bone.

Diabetes: Research at the University Medical School in Naples, has found that diets rich in olive oil lower blood sugar levels, helping diabetes and other disorders related to insulin production.

Pregnancy nutrition: Essential fatty acids are key constituents of cells and the nervous system. Researchers say that two spoonful’s should be consumed with each meal to supply the daily fatty acid requirement during pregnancy.

Breast cancer: A study in Sweden found that women with the highest risk of breast cancer had the lowest intake of monounsaturated fats, of which olive oil is the most important. One theory is that the beneficial effects are due to the Omega-3 fatty acids found in olive oil.

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