Olives and olive oil are an important part of the Mediterranean diet. Previous research suggests that olive oil can help prevent the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Now research reports that olive fruit extract may protect against colon cancer.
The cell study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, examined the effect of olive fruit extract on human colon cancer cells. Researchers at Universitat de Barcelona in Spain used various methods to measure the effect of different doses of an olive extract (with main components maslinic acid and oleanolic acid) on human colon cancer cells and control cells.
The researchers found that olive extract prevented the colon cancer cells from proliferating, but did not destroy healthy cells. In addition, colon cancer cells incubated for 24 hours with olive extract underwent apoptosis (programmed cell death). Findings also revealed a six-fold increase in caspase-3 protein (destroys unhealthy cells) after 24 hour incubation. The production of superoxide anions in the mitochondria of incubated cancer cells suggest that programmed cell death was induced by the intrinsic pathway,
"Our results report for the first time, to our knowledge, the inhibition of cell proliferation without cytotoxicity and the restoration of apoptosis in colon cancer cells by maslinic and oleanolic acids present in olive fruit extracts," the study authors conclude.
REFERENCES:
1. Juan ME et al. Olive fruit extracts inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in HT-29 human colon cancer cells. J Nutr. 2006 Oct;136(10):2553-7.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on February 27, 2007 03:42 PM
