The secret of Olive Oil to fight Brain Cancer Cells - Mediterranean diet
Olives are one of the oldest foods known to man, dating back some thousands of years in the Mediterranean region. The olive tree was valued as a symbol of peace and happiness and is well-known as a blessed tree. While olives were used as food, olives leaves are widely used for medicinal values and, olive oil are treated as perfect oil for cooking purposes.
Typically made up of plant-based foods, fish, whole grains, the Mediterranean diet is more famously known for its liberal use of olive oil and tomatoes.
Olives are concentrated in monounsaturated fats and a good source of vitamin E. Because monounsaturated fats are less easily damaged than polyunsaturated fats, it's good to have some in our cells' outer membranes and other cell structures that contain fats, such as the membranes that surround the cell's DNA and each of its energy-producing mitochondria. The stability of monounsaturated fats translates into a protective effect on the cell that, especially when combined with the antioxidant protection offered by vitamin E, can lower the risk of damage and inflammation. (In addition to vitamin E, olives contain a variety of beneficial active phytonutrient compounds including polyphenols and flavonoids, which also appear to have significant anti-inflammatory properties.)
Typically made up of plant-based foods, fish, whole grains, the Mediterranean diet is more famously known for its liberal use of olive oil and tomatoes.
Olives are concentrated in monounsaturated fats and a good source of vitamin E. Because monounsaturated fats are less easily damaged than polyunsaturated fats, it's good to have some in our cells' outer membranes and other cell structures that contain fats, such as the membranes that surround the cell's DNA and each of its energy-producing mitochondria. The stability of monounsaturated fats translates into a protective effect on the cell that, especially when combined with the antioxidant protection offered by vitamin E, can lower the risk of damage and inflammation. (In addition to vitamin E, olives contain a variety of beneficial active phytonutrient compounds including polyphenols and flavonoids, which also appear to have significant anti-inflammatory properties.)
Olive oil nutrients are found to block brain cancer cells in their songs
Researchers now believe that one of the principal keys to the diet’s benefit lies in its replacement of less-healthy fats with the healthy fats found in olive oil. Olive oil is naturally rich in Vitamin K, E and omega fatty acids 3 and 6. This combination of nutrients is believed to be the reason why the Mediterranean diet appears so capable of safeguarding heart health and affording longevity to a person. [1]
But the effects of olive oil go well beyond its heart protective properties. In a fascinating series of recent studies, researchers have discovered that olive oil is also a good for your brain. A study undertaken by the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) of Philadelphia, USA has found that extra-virgin olive oil can help preserve memory function and even fight against Alzheimer’s. [2]
Alzheimer’s disease is a condition characterized by cognitive decline and memory impaired caused by the build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain. These plaques destroy the delicate structure of the brain, causing deleterious effects on a person’s cognitive functions, notably their ability to retain and recall information. In the study, researchers were to discover that olive oil is capable of trigger the brain’s defense mechanism against amyloid plaques. This defense mechanism is called autophagy. With the presence of olive oil in the diet, the occurrence of autophagy increases, which breaks down and clears out “debris” in the brain. With the debris out of the way, brain function is spared and may work optimally.
Another benefit of adding olive oil to your diet is the anti-cancer properties that researchers have noted. Considering the fact that certain types of brain cancer have some of the poorest prognoses around, every single step you can take to prevent them is most welcome. [3] A study from the University of Edinburgh has determined that oleic acid, the primary ingredient in olive oil, is capable of stopping cancer-causing genes from functioning within brain cells. Oleic acid prevents the protein known as MS12 from decreasing the levels of an anticancer molecule called mIR-7. When there is enough mIR-7 in the brain, the likelihood of developing brain tumors is drastically decreased. [4]
Although cancer is a multifactorial disease and there is no one direct way of surely preventing it, incorporating high-quality olive oil in your diet would definitely seem to be a decision that’s a step towards the right direction.
Research: Olive oil compound kills cancer in less than an hour
By the time you finish watching your favorite TV drama, somewhere in a faraway lab the cancer cells will already be dead.
Oleocanthal, the primary phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil, has been shown to eradicate cancer cells in less than an hour, giving scientists hope that targeted drug options in the future may be possible.
A team of researchers from Rutgers University and Hunter College published their recent study in the journal Molecular & Cellular Oncology.
The findings add even more firepower to the argument in favor of olive oil, which has been shown in prior studies to shield our bodies against air pollution, improve our immune systems, protect aging bones, and perhaps even prevent the slide into Alzheimer’s disease.
Under normal conditions, unnecessary cells experience a process called apoptosis, a kind of cell suicide, which takes between 16 and 24 hours.
In their tests, Onica LeGendre and David Foster of Hunter College, and Paul Breslin of Rutgers, found the cells of all forms of cancer they were studying got wiped out within 30 minutes to an hour. Apoptosis couldn’t have been the only process at work, they thought.
After oleocanthal “put them to sleep” for a day, they rebounded as if nothing had happened.
The study isn’t without its limits. Cell cultures provide a reliable model for understanding how an external substance affects a new biological environment, but cells aren’t as complex as rats, which aren’t as complex as humans.
It will still be years before oleocanthal makes its way into a clinical setting, by which time other technologies may have already crowded it out.
As a proof of concept, however, the findings suggest a robust set of possibilities for the compound. Oleocanthal is just one of the many phenols — a type of antioxidant — that appears in extra-virgin olive oil.
It’s no accident the stuff appears in so many of the world’s healthiest diets. In addition to the heart-healthy antioxidants, olive oil provides a rich source of healthy fats that may preserve brain health and improve memory.
Under normal conditions, unnecessary cells experience a process called apoptosis, a kind of cell suicide, which takes between 16 and 24 hours.
In their tests, Onica LeGendre and David Foster of Hunter College, and Paul Breslin of Rutgers, found the cells of all forms of cancer they were studying got wiped out within 30 minutes to an hour. Apoptosis couldn’t have been the only process at work, they thought.
“We needed to determine if oleocanthal was targeting that protein and causing the cells to die,” said Breslin, a professor of nutritional sciences, in a university release.What they found was that oleocanthal was destroying the cancer cells’ waste centers, known as lysosomes, which are larger than healthy cells and also more fragile.
“Once you open one of those things, all hell breaks loose,” Breslin said.They provide a necessary stabilizing function for the cell. After oleocanthal did its damage, critical functions began to suffer and the cell soon died. Plus, healthy cells stayed intact.
After oleocanthal “put them to sleep” for a day, they rebounded as if nothing had happened.
The study isn’t without its limits. Cell cultures provide a reliable model for understanding how an external substance affects a new biological environment, but cells aren’t as complex as rats, which aren’t as complex as humans.
It will still be years before oleocanthal makes its way into a clinical setting, by which time other technologies may have already crowded it out.
As a proof of concept, however, the findings suggest a robust set of possibilities for the compound. Oleocanthal is just one of the many phenols — a type of antioxidant — that appears in extra-virgin olive oil.
It’s no accident the stuff appears in so many of the world’s healthiest diets. In addition to the heart-healthy antioxidants, olive oil provides a rich source of healthy fats that may preserve brain health and improve memory.
"We think oleocanthal could explain reduced [cancer] incidence in Mediterranean diets where consumption is high," Foster told Medical Daily in an email.Ultimately, the co-authors want to learn more about why oleocanthal targets and shrinks cancer cells specifically.
"And it is also possible that purified (higher-dose) could possibly be used therapeutically."
“We also need to understand why it is that cancerous cells are more sensitive to oleocanthal than non-cancerous cells,” Foster said in the release.Even if consuming more olive oil won’t necessarily protect you from cancer today, budding research may help bring some of the ingredient into the hospital in the future.
References:
- [1] If olive oil is high in fat, why is it considered healthy? http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/food-and-nutrition/faq-20058439
- [2] Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Preserves Memory and Protects Brain Against Alzheimer’s Disease, New Research at Temple Shows http://www.templehealth.org/News/Extra-VirginOliveOilPreservesMemoryandProtectsBrainAgainstAlzheimersDiseaseNewResearchatTempleShows
- [3] Survival Rates for Selected Adult Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors https://www.cancer.org/cancer/brain-spinal-cord-tumors-adults/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates.html
- [4] Oleic Acid Induces MiR-7 Processing through Remodeling of Pri-MiR-7/Protein Complex (2017) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283617301997a
Infographic photo sources:
Pixabay.com (PD)
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