Tag Archives: breast cancer

Protection against Cancer with Olive Oil

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When researchers started studying Greeks living on the island of Crete more than 40 years ago, they were amazed to find that although the traditional Greek diet is very high in fat, people had exceptional low rates of heart disease.
Olive oil plays a critical part in their diet and we would do well if we follow their example. Olive oil, which is made of crushed olives, not only appears to lower the risk of heart disease, it may reduce the risk of various forms of cancer as well.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), long-known for its heart health benefits, has now been identified for its rapid destruction of cancer cells. While scientists have proven that the oleocanthal compound found in EVOO causes cell death in cancer cells, they have been unable to provide an explanation for this phenomenon until now. Paul Breslin, David Foster, and Onica LeGendre offer answers in their paper “(-)-Oleocanthal Rapidly and Selectively Induces Cancer Cell Death Via Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization (LMP),” published in Molecular & Cellular Oncology.

In their recent study, the researchers discovered that the key to understanding the toxic effect of oleocantha in cancerous cells lies in its reaction with the lysosomes of the cell, where the cells store waste: the oleocantha ruptures the cancer cell lysosomes causing cell death within 30 minutes to an hour while leaving un-cancerous cells unharmed. This suggests that the lysosomal membranes of cancerous cells are weaker than those of uncancerous cells. Because of oleocantha’s targeted damage to cancer cells, it may prove an ideal option for therapeutic cancer treatment. Paul Breslin, co-author of the study, said “The mechanism of killing cancer cells and sparing healthy cells, lysosomal membrane permeabilization, has been hypothesized as a possible mechanism of effectively killing cancer cells and sparing healthy tissues but has never been realized before. Our realization of this makes this paper of particular therapeutic interest for cancer treatment.”

The study’s focus on the effect of oleocantha on cancerous and un-cancerous cells leads to larger implications about the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in EVOO. Breslin stated, “the Mediterranean diet is known to be associated with a reduced risk of many different kinds of cancer. Whereas the entire diet likely has many benefits, this study points directly to the olive oil phenolic, oleocanthal, as playing an especially important role in these observations. As more people turn to the Mediterranean diet as a healthy life option, oleocanthal is growing in its significance as a key active component of this diet.”

All fats, from butter and margarine to olive oil, contain almost the same number of calories. But they behave quite differently inside the body. Saturated fats, for example, which are found mainly in meats and dairy foods, are incredibly destructive, because the body can’t rid itself easily of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The kind that blocks arteries and raises the risk of heart disease.

Olive oil. However, is a monounsaturated fat, with no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Olive oil is recommended by the American Heart Association for your food preparation. When you replace saturated fats in your diet with olive oil lowers LDL cholesterol while leaving the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol alone.
Compared with butter, olive oil also gives us a feeling of being more satisfied. The olive oil-loving Greeks eat very little butter or margarine. Additionally, their main meals usually consists of vegetables and legumes instead of meats.
So even though they use a lot of olive oil, they get very little saturated fat. Olive oil helps to prevent many cancers by protecting the cells in your body from oxidation.

Extra-virgin olive oil may also help lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a Greek study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Experts believe extra-virgin olive oil reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis because of its anti-inflammatory effects. One study found that olive oil is similar to ibuprofen in reducing inflammation.
Besides the monounsaturated fat in olive oil , it also contains other disease-fighting compounds that can prevent damage in the arteries before it starts.

Several of the compounds in olive oil , like polyphenols, are powerful antioxidants. This means that they are able to destroy free radicals before they can do damage.This results in keeping your arteries clear when you use olive oil.
Although olive oil is best known for protecting the heart, research suggests that it may also protect the breasts as well . In a study involving more than 2,300 women, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Greece found that women who used olive oil more than once a day, had 25% lower risk of breast cancer compared with those who use it less often.
As a matter of fact, Greece women are much less likely to die from breast cancer than are American women.

Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, which has proved to stop cellular damage that can lead to cancer.And of course, the same polyphenols that help prevent free radicals from damaging the heart may play a role in preventing cancer as well. All types of olive oils are rich in monounsaturated fats, but not all have equal amounts of disease fighting polyphenols.
Some olive oils are quite rare and exquisitely flavored and priced. Others are much more affordable. Many cooks keep two (or more) kinds of olive oil in the kitchen – a gourmet oil for drizzling on salads or pastas and a heartier oil to use for cooking.

Extra-virgin is the Cadillac of olive oils. It’s usually used as a flavoring oil and not for cooking. When you buy extra-virgin olive oil, look at the color. The deeper the color, the more intense the flavor. This type of oil is made from the first pressing of perfectly ripe olives, which leaves the polyphenols in and the bitter acids out.
Although it’s a little bit more expensive, studies have shown that it’s worth your money to buy extra-virgin olive oil. Researchers in Spain asked 24 men to use refined olive oil for 3 months and extra-virgin olive oil for 3 months.
They found that the antioxidants in extra-virgin olive oil kept their LDL or bad cholesterol from oxidizing and slowed the
formation of plaque in the arteries, but the refined oil didn’t offer this protection.
Pure (also called virgin) olive oil is paler than extra-virgin and has a milder flavor. It’s usually used for low- to medium heat frying.

Light olive oil is often used by people who wants the heart-healthy benefits of mono- unsaturated fats but don’t want the strong olive taste. It endures heat well, so you can use it for high-heat frying.

Store it cool.
If you don’t use a lot of olive oil, it tends to go bad on the shelf. It gives up both its good taste and also its protective compounds. To keep olive oil fresh, store it in the refrigerator or another dark, cool place. When you bring it back to room temperature, it will quickly restore it’s nature. Or look for an olive oil that comes in a dark bottle to keep the light from damaging it’s benefits. And buy only what you need within 2 months to prevent the oil of deterioration and tasting stale.

What is Breast Cancer?

Health & Nutrition, , , ,

To answer the question “What is breast cancer?”, we have to start with the fundamentals, the smallest parts our bodies are made up with: the human cells.

When we talk about aging, getting sick and getting disease, usually we don’t realize that we don’t, but actually our cells do. The health of our body depends on how healthy our cells are. The human body is made up of about 80 trillion cells.
Those cells continually replicate themselves.
Consequently, to slow down our aging process and limit our change of getting sick we have to protect and feed our cells properly.

Our cells are made up of atoms. If these cells are healthy, they consist of paired electrons. Healthy cells replicate and keep our body young and disease free. But if atoms are missing electrons, they destroy surrounding atoms by “stealing” their electrons. Atoms that are missing an electron are called “free radicals”. Free radicals alter or  destroy cells and
are the cause of premature aging, sickness and disease, like cancer, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and many others.

Every day, the DNA in each cell in your body faces about 10,000 attacks from
cell-damaging free radicals.
Free radicals are naturally produced as your body turns fuel to energy, but you also get them from pollution in air and water, stress, smoking and radiation from the sun.

These volatile molecules cruise around your body trying to stabilize themselves
by stealing electrons from other molecules. When they succeed, they create
still more free radicals, causing a sort of snowballing procession of damage.

Free radicals don’t just occasionally pop up here and there. Up to 5% of the
oxygen that each cell uses is converted into free radicals.

Free radical damage is thought to play a role in the accumulation of low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and the lining of your artery walls.
This can lead to a narrowing of the arteries called atherosclerosis, which
contributes to heart disease. And when free radicals damage DNA inside the cells,
it can replicate a damaged cell.The results can be cell mutations that lead to cancer.

Pollution in our environment, pesticides and insecticides used on our land, water treated with chlorine and smoking are sources of free radicals.

So what’s the solution? Fortunately, there are antioxidants who have extra electrons to give away to free radicals, which eliminates their harmful effect and are our body’s defense against the harmful effect of free radicals, causing aging, sickness and disease like cancer.

Cabbage contains an abundance of vitamins, C, E, and carotene and two compounds that studies show can help prevent cancer.
Researchers reviewed almost 100 studies that evaluated the relationship between cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and cancer. They found that in 70% of the studies, cabbage consumption was associated with a lower risk of cancer. Cabbage is particularly effective in preventing breast-, lung-, and prostate cancer.

However, only 2% of these vitamins are present in the average American diet.
Most Americans today don’t eat their cabbage or any other vegetable.The average intake is less than one serving per day of either fruit or vegetables.

The first of these compounds, indole-3-carbinol, or I3C, is especially effective against
breast cancer. The compound acts as an antiestrogen, which means that it sweeps up harmful estrogens that have been linked to breast cancer.

Most breast cancer is linked to deficit in estrogen metabolism.
The under-nourished female body can’t deactivate its estrogen properly. It uses what is called the estradiol 16-alpha hydroxylation pathway, which leaves the hormone still active enough to cause cell transformation in the breast (and reproductive organs).
Over years these cells gradually transform to cancer.The properly nourished female body, however, uses what is called the estradiol 2-alpha hydroxilation pathway, which neutralizes the hormone completely and never leads to breast cancer.

The other compound found in cabbage, called sulforaphane, has been shown to inhibit carcionogens and aid in DNA repair.

Women in Poland eat three times as much cabbage,especially raw cabbage,
as women in the US.
Researchers studied hundreds of Polish women living in the US and found that women who ate four or more servings of cabbage per week while preteens were 72% less likely to develop breast cancer as adults than the women who ate one serving or less of cabbage a week while preteens. Eating lots of cabbage as adults also provided significant cancer protection.

Dr. Donald Malins, a biochemist from Seatle, reported a new method fot identifying structural changes in the DNA of breast tissues. By using an instrument that bounces  infrared radiation off the DNA and by analyzing the signals via a sophisticated computer, he was able to follow the structual damage to the DNA caused by free radicals.

Researchers agree with Malins that the development of cancer is a multistage process that usually takes decades to develop. In adults, cancer may take twenty or even thirty years to develop from the initial mutation of the DNA to its full-blown manifestation. In children, this process may develop more quickly because of their more rapid cell turnover.


Malins noted significant changes within the structure of the DNA as he followed it from normal breast tissue to metastatic breast cancer in all its developmental stages.

Dr Malin believed oxidative stress was the cause of this predictable damage to
the DNA, which eventually led to the formation of breast cancer.
He further argued that cancer was not so much the result of disfunctional genes as it was the result of genetic damage that highly reactive free radicals caused.

For the past forty years, researchers have believed that abnormal genes are the driving force behind all cancers. But now researchers are beginning to believe instead that individuals with certain genes are simply more vulnerable to oxidative stress than others. This may explain the familial patterns of many types of cancer.

Nutritional science offers us the greatest hope in our fight against cancer and
several other degenerative diseases.
They not only help to prevent cancer but may actually enhance the traditional chemo- and radiation therapy.
How can the process of building up the body’s natural defence be bad?
Shouldn’t physicians want their patients to be as healthy as possible,since cancer treatments are going to put patients under the greatest stress they have had to endure in their lives?

Natural antioxidants and their supporting nutrients are the ideal chemo-preventive agents for many reasons.

* They limit and even prevent the free-radical damage to the DNA nucleus of
the cell.
* They provide the proper nutrients needed for the body to repear any damage that has been done already.
* They are save and may be taken over a lifetime. (Pharmaceutical drugs do not share this advantage. Tamoxifen, which has been shown to decrease the risk
of breast cancer, has very serious side effects.)
* They are relatively inexpensive.
* They provide the best defense against further advancement of cancer.
* They protect the body against oxidative stress that chemotherapy and radiation create.
* They support the cancer-fighting ability of chemotherapy and radiation.
* They inhibit the replication and growth of the cancer.
* They have been shown to cause tumor regression in some cases.

We can’t deny that the effectiveness of traditional cancer treatments has reached a plateau. Oncologists and radiation therapists must become more open-minded about antioxidant use in their patients. As researchers seriously consider the use of multiple antioxidants at optimal levels, cancer prevention and treatment may well be revolutionized. In the meantime, the research that is presently available supports the use of antioxidants in all stages of chemo- prevention and cancer therapy.

The CSIRO has given practical guidelines to minimize free-radical damage.
You can read them in my article: How to protect against cancer.