Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Breast Cancer Reduction
Wednesday December 24, 2008
We've all heard about the wonders of olive oil - claims of reducing heart disease and cancer risk have been coming out for a long while. But the studies keep coming up with contradictory information. Now researchers have a clue why.
20-30% of breast cancer express a molecule called HER2. Certain medications targeted this molecule (they use it as a marker for a cancer cell). It is possible that some of the substances in olive oil act the same way. That could explain why some studies on how olive oil reduces the risk of breast cancer come up positive and other negative.
In other words "breast cancer" isn't just one type of cancer. There are different forms of it. It looks like olive oil may be more beneficial to the HER2 expressing breast cancers.
More research is sure to be done, but this just shows how very complex cancer research. But don't shy away from the olive oil just because we don't fully understand how it works yet - it has tons of known benefits for your heart and tastes really good too.
Must Read: the Mediterranean Diet
20-30% of breast cancer express a molecule called HER2. Certain medications targeted this molecule (they use it as a marker for a cancer cell). It is possible that some of the substances in olive oil act the same way. That could explain why some studies on how olive oil reduces the risk of breast cancer come up positive and other negative.
In other words "breast cancer" isn't just one type of cancer. There are different forms of it. It looks like olive oil may be more beneficial to the HER2 expressing breast cancers.
More research is sure to be done, but this just shows how very complex cancer research. But don't shy away from the olive oil just because we don't fully understand how it works yet - it has tons of known benefits for your heart and tastes really good too.
Must Read: the Mediterranean Diet
There is a safe alternative now to cancer treatment with the recent research indicating that “Biologically active compounds in extra-virgin olive oil have the ability to shrink certain malignant breast tumors”. It’s a great news to hear that there are things we can do in order to reduce our chances of developing certain illnesses like breast cancer. The recent post in the washingtontimes.com have a nice article on the topic a must read to spread awareness among people about the utility of extra-virgin olive oil as a breast cancer medicine