| MEDICAL
RESEARCH |
“A
diet rich in olive oil may help stave off internal
cancer”
Liz Lynch, Healthscout Rerporter, 09/22/03
“An olive-oil-rich
diet is more effective than a low-fat diet in controlling
and treating obesity. Moreover, it leads to longer-lasting
weight loss and it is easier to keep to because it tastes
good”.
Frank Sacks Harvard School of Public Health
“Olive oil has
been shown to strengthen the immune system in mice. Diets
high in olive oil do not suppress lymphoblastogrnesis,
CD11a and CD18, and increase expression and capping of
CD44 and CD25.”
D. Peck School of Medicine University of Miami .
“Olive oil has
a protective effect against some types of malignant tumors:
prostate, breast, colon, squamous cell, and oesophageal.”
“American women might
actually experience as much as a 50% reduction in breast
cancer risk if they consumed more olive oil in place of
saturated fats”
Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos,
chairman of the Department of Epidemiology,
Harvard University School of
Public Health. |
| ANTIOXIDANT
POLYPHENOLS & HUMAN HEALTHCARE |
|
|
| ATHEROSCLEROSIS |
Oxidized
low-density lipoproteins (LDL) contribute to the progression
of human atherosclerosis. Antioxidants have been shown
to prevent LDL modification. The beneficial effects
of a Mediterranean diet may be defined by the unique
antioxidant properties of its phenolic compounds.
|
| ANTIMICROBIAL
ACTIVITY |
| Olive
polyphenols have been demonstrated to inhibit or
delay the rate of growth bacteria such as Salmonella,
Cholerae, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Influenza
in vitro. These data suggest a potential role of
olive water polyphenol antioxidants in promoting
intestinal and respiratory human and animal wellness,
and as an antimicrobial food additive in pest management
programs. |
| CANCER |
There
is a growing body of evidence that reactive oxygen
species are involved in the etiology of fat-related
neoplasm, especially in patients suffering from predisposing
inflammatory conditions where high quantities of
reactive oxygen are produced. Recent studies have
shown that the abundant phenolic antioxidant fractions
of olive oil have a potent inhibitory ability on
reactive oxygen species associated with colon and
breast pathologies.
|
| OXIDATIVE
STRESS FROM PASSIVE SMOKING |
Recent
studies which involve administration of the phenolic
fraction from olive water in rats exposed to oxidative
stress from secondary smoke, show a dramatic reduction
of stress and protective activity by polyphenols
in the diet.
|
| SKIN
DAMAGE AND PHOTOPROTECTION |
The
skin damage produced by overexposure to sun rays and
environmental stress is related to the destructive
activity of free oxygen-related radicals produced by
skin cells. Polyphenolic components of olive oil have
been compared to traditional antioxidants, such as
tocopherols, used by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical
industry to prevent skin damage. Results show polyphenols
as having the highest activity as radical scavengers.
|
