Re: Olive oil may hinder cancer process

[Guest guest]

>At the beginning of the study, men from Northern Europe had higher

> levels of 8oxodG than those from Southern Europe. This is

consistent,

> according to Poulsen's team, with the expected effects of the

> olive-oil-rich " Mediterranean diet. "

>

> However, Poulsen told Reuters Health, the diet is more than just

olive

> oil. Ideally, it's also rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains

and fish.

It seems that this last sentence is the most important statement,

given that fruits and vegetables are very rich in antioxidants. Was

the olive oil study done in such a way that those using the olive

oil were consuming no more fruits and vegetables than the control

group? That would be crucial for its accuracy.

>

> http://snipurl.com/oliveoil

>

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who use plenty of olive oil in

> their diets may be helping to prevent damage to body cells that can

> eventually lead to cancer, new research suggests.

>

> In a study of 182 European men, researchers found evidence that

olive

> oil can reduce oxidative damage to cells' genetic material, a

process

> that can initiate cancer development.

>

> They say the findings may help explain why rates of several cancers

> are higher in Northern Europe than in Southern Europe, where olive

oil

> is a dietary staple.

>

> They also support advice to replace saturated fats from foods like

> meat and butter with vegetable fats, particularly olive oil, said

> study co-author Dr. Henrik E. Poulsen, of Copenhagen University

> Hospital in Denmark.

>

> He and his colleagues report the findings in The FASEB Journal, a

> publication of the Federation of American Societies for

Experimental

> Biology.

>

> The study included healthy men between the ages of 20 and 60 from

five

> European countries. For two weeks, the men consumed a quarter cup

of

> olive oil throughout each day. At the end of the study, they

showed an

> average 13 percent reduction in a substance called 8oxodG, which

is a

> marker of oxidative damage to cells' DNA.

>

> Such damage occurs when byproducts of metabolism called reactive

> oxygen species overwhelm the body's antioxidant defenses. Olive oil

> contains a number of compounds, called phenols, believed to act as

> powerful antioxidants.

>

> However, those compounds didn't seem to account for the drop in DNA

> oxidative damage, according to Poulsen's team. The men in the study

> used three different olive oils with varying levels of antioxidant

> phenols, and oxidative damage declined regardless of the phenol

content.

>

> Instead, the researchers suspect that the monounsaturated fats in

> olive oil are behind the effect.

>

> The findings, they say, suggest that olive oil may be part of the

> reason that certain cancers, including breast, colon, ovarian and

> prostate cancers, are less common in Mediterranean countries than

in

> Northern Europe.

>

> At the beginning of the study, men from Northern Europe had higher

> levels of 8oxodG than those from Southern Europe. This is

consistent,

> according to Poulsen's team, with the expected effects of the

> olive-oil-rich " Mediterranean diet. "

>

> However, Poulsen told Reuters Health, the diet is more than just

olive

> oil. Ideally, it's also rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains

and fish.

>

> Moreover, regardless of its benefits, he added, olive oil is no

> substitute for calorie control and regular exercise.

>

> SOURCE: The FASEB Journal, January 2007.

>

[Guest guest]

I could only access the abstract:

http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/abstract/fj.06-6328comv1

However, the olive oil was administered in blind tests at multiple

centers. In order for the study to be biased by the fruit and

vegetable consumption of the individuals, the ones who received olive

oil in the blind tests would also have to have been higher consumers

of fruits and vegetables. Since the test was large and was

administered blind, I think the probability of non-randomness that

you're suggesting is quite small.

-Diane

> >

> > http://snipurl.com/oliveoil

> >

> > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who use plenty of olive oil in

> > their diets may be helping to prevent damage to body cells that can

> > eventually lead to cancer, new research suggests.

> >

> > In a study of 182 European men, researchers found evidence that

> olive

> > oil can reduce oxidative damage to cells' genetic material, a

> process

> > that can initiate cancer development.

> >

> > They say the findings may help explain why rates of several cancers

> > are higher in Northern Europe than in Southern Europe, where olive

> oil

> > is a dietary staple.

> >

> > They also support advice to replace saturated fats from foods like

> > meat and butter with vegetable fats, particularly olive oil, said

> > study co-author Dr. Henrik E. Poulsen, of Copenhagen University

> > Hospital in Denmark.

> >

> > He and his colleagues report the findings in The FASEB Journal, a

> > publication of the Federation of American Societies for

> Experimental

> > Biology.

> >

> > The study included healthy men between the ages of 20 and 60 from

> five

> > European countries. For two weeks, the men consumed a quarter cup

> of

> > olive oil throughout each day. At the end of the study, they

> showed an

> > average 13 percent reduction in a substance called 8oxodG, which

> is a

> > marker of oxidative damage to cells' DNA.

> >

> > Such damage occurs when byproducts of metabolism called reactive

> > oxygen species overwhelm the body's antioxidant defenses. Olive oil

> > contains a number of compounds, called phenols, believed to act as

> > powerful antioxidants.

> >

> > However, those compounds didn't seem to account for the drop in DNA

> > oxidative damage, according to Poulsen's team. The men in the study

> > used three different olive oils with varying levels of antioxidant

> > phenols, and oxidative damage declined regardless of the phenol

> content.

> >

> > Instead, the researchers suspect that the monounsaturated fats in

> > olive oil are behind the effect.

> >

> > The findings, they say, suggest that olive oil may be part of the

> > reason that certain cancers, including breast, colon, ovarian and

> > prostate cancers, are less common in Mediterranean countries than

> in

> > Northern Europe.

> >

> > At the beginning of the study, men from Northern Europe had higher

> > levels of 8oxodG than those from Southern Europe. This is

> consistent,

> > according to Poulsen's team, with the expected effects of the

> > olive-oil-rich " Mediterranean diet. "

> >

> > However, Poulsen told Reuters Health, the diet is more than just

> olive

> > oil. Ideally, it's also rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains

> and fish.

> >

> > Moreover, regardless of its benefits, he added, olive oil is no

> > substitute for calorie control and regular exercise.

> >

> > SOURCE: The FASEB Journal, January 2007.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Maco was kind enough to provide the full pdf of the study. I've

uploaded it here:

http://www.donder.com/olive.pdf

It appears that in the study, they restricted the number of fruits and

vegetables consumed per day. And, as said before, the olive oil was

randomly and blindly administered.

- Diane

> >

> > http://snipurl.com/oliveoil

> >

> > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who use plenty of olive oil in

> > their diets may be helping to prevent damage to body cells that can

> > eventually lead to cancer, new research suggests.

> >

> > In a study of 182 European men, researchers found evidence that

> olive

> > oil can reduce oxidative damage to cells' genetic material, a

> process

> > that can initiate cancer development.

> >

> > They say the findings may help explain why rates of several cancers

> > are higher in Northern Europe than in Southern Europe, where olive

> oil

> > is a dietary staple.

> >

> > They also support advice to replace saturated fats from foods like

> > meat and butter with vegetable fats, particularly olive oil, said

> > study co-author Dr. Henrik E. Poulsen, of Copenhagen University

> > Hospital in Denmark.

> >

> > He and his colleagues report the findings in The FASEB Journal, a

> > publication of the Federation of American Societies for

> Experimental

> > Biology.

> >

> > The study included healthy men between the ages of 20 and 60 from

> five

> > European countries. For two weeks, the men consumed a quarter cup

> of

> > olive oil throughout each day. At the end of the study, they

> showed an

> > average 13 percent reduction in a substance called 8oxodG, which

> is a

> > marker of oxidative damage to cells' DNA.

> >

> > Such damage occurs when byproducts of metabolism called reactive

> > oxygen species overwhelm the body's antioxidant defenses. Olive oil

> > contains a number of compounds, called phenols, believed to act as

> > powerful antioxidants.

> >

> > However, those compounds didn't seem to account for the drop in DNA

> > oxidative damage, according to Poulsen's team. The men in the study

> > used three different olive oils with varying levels of antioxidant

> > phenols, and oxidative damage declined regardless of the phenol

> content.

> >

> > Instead, the researchers suspect that the monounsaturated fats in

> > olive oil are behind the effect.

> >

> > The findings, they say, suggest that olive oil may be part of the

> > reason that certain cancers, including breast, colon, ovarian and

> > prostate cancers, are less common in Mediterranean countries than

> in

> > Northern Europe.

> >

> > At the beginning of the study, men from Northern Europe had higher

> > levels of 8oxodG than those from Southern Europe. This is

> consistent,

> > according to Poulsen's team, with the expected effects of the

> > olive-oil-rich " Mediterranean diet. "

> >

> > However, Poulsen told Reuters Health, the diet is more than just

> olive

> > oil. Ideally, it's also rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains

> and fish.

> >

> > Moreover, regardless of its benefits, he added, olive oil is no

> > substitute for calorie control and regular exercise.

> >

> > SOURCE: The FASEB Journal, January 2007.

> >

>