“Oleocanthal and oleacein slow down leukemia”

Consumption of high phenolic extra virgin olive oil may help delay the progression of one of the most common cancers in the world, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, suggests a new study of patients in Greece.
"The study was carried out on a limited number of people, 20 in all, but even in this small number a statistically significant difference was found after three months of intervention" he highlighted Prokopios Magiatis, associate professor at the University of Athens.
In particular, it emerged that the consumption of olive oil with high concentrations of oleocanthal and oleacein improved the prognosis of a sample of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the initial stage, which constitutes about 25% of global leukemia cases. Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and causes the body to make too many white blood cells that don't work properly.
In a healthy person, white blood cells help the body fight bacterial and viral infections. However, in patients with leukemia, dysfunctional white blood cells accumulate, diluting the effectiveness of functional ones and interfering with red blood cell production. An estimated 23 people die of leukemia each year, accounting for four percent of global cancer deaths.
For the study, the researchers divided 20 patients from Greece in the early stages of the disease into two groups. The first has consumed 40 milliliters of monovarietal Lianolia extra virgin olive oil per day for three months, which included 25 milligrams of oleocanthal and oleacein.
The second group consumed extra virgin olive oil with a high content of polyphenols, but with low concentrations of oleocanthal and oleacein for the same period. After an interval, the researchers performed a second trial, including eight people from each group and six new participants who consumed 40 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil high in oleocanthal and oleacein.
At the end of the study, the researchers observed that white blood cell production was slowed in patients consuming high oleocanthal and high oleacein olive oil and, in some cases, even reversed.
“Consumption of high oleocanthal and high oleacein extra virgin olive oil could become a dietary standard for leukemia patients,” added physician Prokopios Magiatis. “There are already guidelines for patients suffering from this type of leukemia. This could be a very significant addition”.

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