ding plenty of olive oil to diet could protect you from cancer, suggests a new study.Olive oil contains a number of compounds,
called phenols, which are believed to act as powerful antioxidants.Scientistsled by Henrik Poulsen at the Copenhagen University Hospital looked at182 healthy men aged between 20 and 60 from five European countries.Theyfound that those who had 25 millilitres of olive oil per day hadreduced levels of a substance, which indicates cell damage, accordingto the online edition of BBC News.The
Scientists added eithervirgin, common or refined olive oil to their diets over two weeks. Atthe end of the study, scientists measured levels of the substance,which indicates
oxidative damage to cells, called 8oxodG, in the men'surine.Oxidative damage is a process whereby the metabolicbalance of a cell is disrupted by exposure to substances that result inthe accumulation of free-radicals, which can then damage the cell.Themen were found to have around 13 percent less 8oxodG compared withtheir levels at the beginning of the study, the researchers write inthe FASEB journal."These data may explain why many cancer ratesare higher in northern Europe than the south, where olive oil is amajor part of the diet," the scientists said."Although thisstudy suggests that olive oil can reduce DNA damage that could lead tothe development of cancer, more long-term research is needed to confirmthese effects," Anthea Martin, science information officer at CancerResearch UK