| From Nutrition Newsbytes Your link to nutrition discoveries OLIVE OIL SCORES AGAIN Olive oil may protect against bowel cancer. In a recent study, more than 100 rats were divided into three equal groups to be fed diets rich either in safflower oil (containing n6 fatty acids), fish oil (containing n3 fatty acids), or olive oil (containing n9 fatty acids). Each of the three groups were further divided, and one-half received a cancer-inducing agent. The rats fed the safflower diet had more precancerous tissue and more tumors than the others. Rats fed either the fish or olive oil diets reduced the amount of arachidonate, a chemical involved in the synthesis of prostaglandin E, which, experimental evidence shows, promotes cancer formation. Evidence of precursors to malignancy, numbers of tumors, and fatty acid content of the bowel tissue were all assessed up to 19 weeks after the start of the diets. Olive oil's many constituents, including oleic acid, squalene, flavonoids, and polyphenols, are believed to be responsible for its protective effects. The study is featured in Gut. Reprinted with permission; Copyright 2000 Enzymatic Therapy. (Enzymatic Therapy manufactures and distributes more than 200 nutritional |