`Olive Oil Found to Help Prevent Skin Cancer - Olive Oil Times

Olive Oil Found to Help Prevent Skin Cancer

By Christian Brazil Bautista
Dec. 16, 2010 10:14 UTC

A study con­ducted by Dr. Niva Shapira from Tel Aviv University in Israel and Bob Kuklinski of Rockstock University in Germany found that olive oil, along with other com­po­nents of a Mediterranean diet, may con­tribute to the pre­ven­tion of malig­nant melanoma. Malignant melanoma, which is the most dan­ger­ous type of skin can­cer, may be slowed down by con­sump­tion of olive oil, which is rich in antiox­i­dants.

The research showed that the body devel­ops a resis­tance to the dam­ag­ing rays of the sun due to carotenoids. Carotenoids are the color pig­ments found in fruits and veg­eta­bles such as water­mel­ons, toma­toes, pump­kins and car­rots. Olive oil has also been found to pro­tect the skin against the dam­ag­ing effects of UV rays.

Olive oil, which is the only veg­etable oil that can be taken as it is, con­tains high lev­els of antiox­ida­tives and has monoun­sat­u­rated fatty acids. Studies have also shown that olive oil pre­vents heart dis­ease. It was found that olive oil con­trols the lev­els of bad cho­les­terol (LDL) while rais­ing the lev­els of good cho­les­terol (HDL). Due to its vit­a­min E con­tents, olive oil also pro­vides cel­lu­lar pro­tec­tion against free rad­i­cals. Olive oil aids in neu­tral­iz­ing free rad­i­cals, which leads to a lower risk for colon can­cer. Regular con­sump­tion of olive oil may also lower the risk of dia­betes.

According to Dr. Shapira, the use of sun­screen remains the best way to pre­vent sun­burn and shield the skin from the harm­ful effects of the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. However, In an inter­view with the Pakistan News Service, Dr. Shapira adds that Going Greek,” or con­sum­ing olive oil and other Mediterranean food sta­ples, could help counter the oxi­diz­ing effect of the sun. Her state­ment is strength­ened by sta­tis­tics that show that only three in every 100,000 res­i­dents of coun­tries in the Mediterranean develop any form of skin can­cer. The fig­ure is low, espe­cially when con­sid­er­ing the warm cli­mate in the region. In Australia, the fig­ure is 50 in every 100,000 res­i­dents.

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