Extra virgin olive oil provides protection against colon cancer as well as breast and skin cancers, heart disease and some common affects of aging. I'm happy just to know that olive oil is full of good stuff that helps prevent cancer and other diseases, but scientists are isolating specific compounds to learn more.Oleic acid makes up 75% of the fatty acid content in olive oil.It is rich in phenolic antioxidants, squalene, and oleic acid, so a diet including olive oil helps prevent oxidative stress. Antioxidants inhibit free radical cells, but these beneficial phenols are minimal in seed oils like canola or sunflower.
Research done at the University of Oxford shows that olive oil may be just as effective in the prevention of colon cancer as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Don't forget though, vegetables and fruits offer many other health benefits and need to be included in a healthy diet. As I talked about on the diet page, there is no one thing that will make you thin and healthy.
In a test-tube study by a European research team, triterpenes, (a waxy hydrocarbon that coats the skin of olives) was shown to trigger a natural process of death in human cancer cells.
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