User login
Olive oil is a major component of the Mediterranean diet, and olive phenols have been shown to convey antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic effects by modulating various molecular pathways, Andrea Paola Rojas Gil, PhD, of the University of Peloponnese, Tripoli, Greece, and colleagues wrote.
In most patients, CLL is incurable, but those at the early stages do not need immediate therapy and may benefit from an intervention to prevent disease progression, the authors wrote. Previous research suggested that dietary intervention exerts a salutary effect on early CLL, and in vitro studies suggested that oleocanthal, a component of extra virgin olive oil, induced anticancer activity.
In a study published in Frontiers in Oncology, the researchers enrolled adults with early stage CLL who had not undergone chemotherapy or other treatment. All patients adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet.
After a washout period of 9-12 months, the researchers randomized 22 patients to extra virgin olive oil high in oleocanthal and oleacein (high OC/OL-EVOO). Patients in the intervention group consumed 40 mL/day of high OC/OL-EVOO before meals. Their average age was 71 years; 10 were women and 12 were men.
The primary outcomes included changes in hematological, biochemical, and apoptotic markers. After 6 months, patients in the intervention group showed a statistically significant reduction in white blood cells and lymphocyte count, compared with measurements taken 3 months before the intervention. The WBC decrease was greatest among patients with the highest WBC levels at baseline.
As for biochemical markers, the researchers observed a significant decrease in glucose levels during the intervention, but no significant effects on metabolic indexes or renal function.
After 3 months and also after 6 months of the olive oil intervention, patients showed a significant increase in the apoptotic markers ccK18 and Apo1-Fas (P ≤ .05 for both), as well as an increase in the cell cycle negative regulator p21. The dietary intervention also was associated with significant decreases in expression of the antiapoptotic protein survivin and in cyclin D, a positive cell cycle regulator protein.
Further, patients who had a high ccK18 level at baseline showed a significantly greater increase in ccK18 after the intervention, compared with those with lower ccK18 at baseline (P = .001).
Notably, “a negative correlation of the WBC at the end of the dietary intervention with the fluctuation of the protein expression of the apoptotic marker ccK18 (final – initial) was observed,” the researchers wrote in their discussion.
The study findings were limited by several factors including the small sample size, short intervention time, and pilot design, the researchers said. Other limitations include the possible effect of other unmeasured properties of olive oil.
However, the results reflect previous studies showing the benefits of a Mediterranean-type diet, and they represent the first clinical trial to indicate possible beneficial effects from oleocanthal and oleacein on the progression of CLL. Therefore, the authors concluded, the study is worthy of a large, multicenter trial.
Pilot data merit more research
In an interview, corresponding author Prokopios Magiatis, PhD, noted that CLL is “the most commonly diagnosed adult leukemia in Western countries and is responsible for about one in four cases of all leukemias.” CLL remains incurable in most patients, and ways to delay disease progression are needed.
“Oleocanthal is the active ingredient of early harvest olive oil with proven anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo,” Dr. Magiatis explained. “For this reason, it was a unique challenge to investigate the anticancer activity of this compound for the first time in humans through the dietary consumption of specifically selected olive oil.” He expressed surprise at the beneficial effects of high-oleocanthal olive oil, not only to the white blood cells, but also to glucose levels.
“It seems that oleocanthal can activate mechanisms related to the apoptosis of cancer cells, and also mechanisms related to blood glucose regulation without affecting any normal cells of the body,” he said. “All anticancer drugs usually have severe side effects, however the administration of 25 mg of oleocanthal through the dietary consumption of olive oil did not present any harmful effects for at least 6 months of everyday use.
“The addition of naturally produced high-oleocanthal olive oil in the diet of early-stage CLL patients at a dose of three tablespoons per day [40 mL] is a practice that may lower the cancerous white blood cells of the patients without any risk,” said Dr. Magiatis. “High-oleocanthal early-harvest olive oil has been consumed for centuries, and may be the key of longevity of several Mediterranean populations.
“In our study, the number of the white blood cells returned back to the number it was one year before the initiation of the study; this clearly shows that it could be a significant factor for the delay of the progress of the disease,” he said.
The current trial was a pilot study in one hospital with only 22 patients for 6 months, said Dr. Magiatis. “We are currently preparing the expansion of the study to other hospitals and other countries, and we aim to include at least 100 patients for at least 1 year, to validate the already-obtained beneficial results.”
The clinical trial is supported by the nonprofit organization World Olive Center for Health, he added.
The current study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Olive oil is a major component of the Mediterranean diet, and olive phenols have been shown to convey antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic effects by modulating various molecular pathways, Andrea Paola Rojas Gil, PhD, of the University of Peloponnese, Tripoli, Greece, and colleagues wrote.
In most patients, CLL is incurable, but those at the early stages do not need immediate therapy and may benefit from an intervention to prevent disease progression, the authors wrote. Previous research suggested that dietary intervention exerts a salutary effect on early CLL, and in vitro studies suggested that oleocanthal, a component of extra virgin olive oil, induced anticancer activity.
In a study published in Frontiers in Oncology, the researchers enrolled adults with early stage CLL who had not undergone chemotherapy or other treatment. All patients adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet.
After a washout period of 9-12 months, the researchers randomized 22 patients to extra virgin olive oil high in oleocanthal and oleacein (high OC/OL-EVOO). Patients in the intervention group consumed 40 mL/day of high OC/OL-EVOO before meals. Their average age was 71 years; 10 were women and 12 were men.
The primary outcomes included changes in hematological, biochemical, and apoptotic markers. After 6 months, patients in the intervention group showed a statistically significant reduction in white blood cells and lymphocyte count, compared with measurements taken 3 months before the intervention. The WBC decrease was greatest among patients with the highest WBC levels at baseline.
As for biochemical markers, the researchers observed a significant decrease in glucose levels during the intervention, but no significant effects on metabolic indexes or renal function.
After 3 months and also after 6 months of the olive oil intervention, patients showed a significant increase in the apoptotic markers ccK18 and Apo1-Fas (P ≤ .05 for both), as well as an increase in the cell cycle negative regulator p21. The dietary intervention also was associated with significant decreases in expression of the antiapoptotic protein survivin and in cyclin D, a positive cell cycle regulator protein.
Further, patients who had a high ccK18 level at baseline showed a significantly greater increase in ccK18 after the intervention, compared with those with lower ccK18 at baseline (P = .001).
Notably, “a negative correlation of the WBC at the end of the dietary intervention with the fluctuation of the protein expression of the apoptotic marker ccK18 (final – initial) was observed,” the researchers wrote in their discussion.
The study findings were limited by several factors including the small sample size, short intervention time, and pilot design, the researchers said. Other limitations include the possible effect of other unmeasured properties of olive oil.
However, the results reflect previous studies showing the benefits of a Mediterranean-type diet, and they represent the first clinical trial to indicate possible beneficial effects from oleocanthal and oleacein on the progression of CLL. Therefore, the authors concluded, the study is worthy of a large, multicenter trial.
Pilot data merit more research
In an interview, corresponding author Prokopios Magiatis, PhD, noted that CLL is “the most commonly diagnosed adult leukemia in Western countries and is responsible for about one in four cases of all leukemias.” CLL remains incurable in most patients, and ways to delay disease progression are needed.
“Oleocanthal is the active ingredient of early harvest olive oil with proven anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo,” Dr. Magiatis explained. “For this reason, it was a unique challenge to investigate the anticancer activity of this compound for the first time in humans through the dietary consumption of specifically selected olive oil.” He expressed surprise at the beneficial effects of high-oleocanthal olive oil, not only to the white blood cells, but also to glucose levels.
“It seems that oleocanthal can activate mechanisms related to the apoptosis of cancer cells, and also mechanisms related to blood glucose regulation without affecting any normal cells of the body,” he said. “All anticancer drugs usually have severe side effects, however the administration of 25 mg of oleocanthal through the dietary consumption of olive oil did not present any harmful effects for at least 6 months of everyday use.
“The addition of naturally produced high-oleocanthal olive oil in the diet of early-stage CLL patients at a dose of three tablespoons per day [40 mL] is a practice that may lower the cancerous white blood cells of the patients without any risk,” said Dr. Magiatis. “High-oleocanthal early-harvest olive oil has been consumed for centuries, and may be the key of longevity of several Mediterranean populations.
“In our study, the number of the white blood cells returned back to the number it was one year before the initiation of the study; this clearly shows that it could be a significant factor for the delay of the progress of the disease,” he said.
The current trial was a pilot study in one hospital with only 22 patients for 6 months, said Dr. Magiatis. “We are currently preparing the expansion of the study to other hospitals and other countries, and we aim to include at least 100 patients for at least 1 year, to validate the already-obtained beneficial results.”
The clinical trial is supported by the nonprofit organization World Olive Center for Health, he added.
The current study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Olive oil is a major component of the Mediterranean diet, and olive phenols have been shown to convey antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic effects by modulating various molecular pathways, Andrea Paola Rojas Gil, PhD, of the University of Peloponnese, Tripoli, Greece, and colleagues wrote.
In most patients, CLL is incurable, but those at the early stages do not need immediate therapy and may benefit from an intervention to prevent disease progression, the authors wrote. Previous research suggested that dietary intervention exerts a salutary effect on early CLL, and in vitro studies suggested that oleocanthal, a component of extra virgin olive oil, induced anticancer activity.
In a study published in Frontiers in Oncology, the researchers enrolled adults with early stage CLL who had not undergone chemotherapy or other treatment. All patients adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet.
After a washout period of 9-12 months, the researchers randomized 22 patients to extra virgin olive oil high in oleocanthal and oleacein (high OC/OL-EVOO). Patients in the intervention group consumed 40 mL/day of high OC/OL-EVOO before meals. Their average age was 71 years; 10 were women and 12 were men.
The primary outcomes included changes in hematological, biochemical, and apoptotic markers. After 6 months, patients in the intervention group showed a statistically significant reduction in white blood cells and lymphocyte count, compared with measurements taken 3 months before the intervention. The WBC decrease was greatest among patients with the highest WBC levels at baseline.
As for biochemical markers, the researchers observed a significant decrease in glucose levels during the intervention, but no significant effects on metabolic indexes or renal function.
After 3 months and also after 6 months of the olive oil intervention, patients showed a significant increase in the apoptotic markers ccK18 and Apo1-Fas (P ≤ .05 for both), as well as an increase in the cell cycle negative regulator p21. The dietary intervention also was associated with significant decreases in expression of the antiapoptotic protein survivin and in cyclin D, a positive cell cycle regulator protein.
Further, patients who had a high ccK18 level at baseline showed a significantly greater increase in ccK18 after the intervention, compared with those with lower ccK18 at baseline (P = .001).
Notably, “a negative correlation of the WBC at the end of the dietary intervention with the fluctuation of the protein expression of the apoptotic marker ccK18 (final – initial) was observed,” the researchers wrote in their discussion.
The study findings were limited by several factors including the small sample size, short intervention time, and pilot design, the researchers said. Other limitations include the possible effect of other unmeasured properties of olive oil.
However, the results reflect previous studies showing the benefits of a Mediterranean-type diet, and they represent the first clinical trial to indicate possible beneficial effects from oleocanthal and oleacein on the progression of CLL. Therefore, the authors concluded, the study is worthy of a large, multicenter trial.
Pilot data merit more research
In an interview, corresponding author Prokopios Magiatis, PhD, noted that CLL is “the most commonly diagnosed adult leukemia in Western countries and is responsible for about one in four cases of all leukemias.” CLL remains incurable in most patients, and ways to delay disease progression are needed.
“Oleocanthal is the active ingredient of early harvest olive oil with proven anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo,” Dr. Magiatis explained. “For this reason, it was a unique challenge to investigate the anticancer activity of this compound for the first time in humans through the dietary consumption of specifically selected olive oil.” He expressed surprise at the beneficial effects of high-oleocanthal olive oil, not only to the white blood cells, but also to glucose levels.
“It seems that oleocanthal can activate mechanisms related to the apoptosis of cancer cells, and also mechanisms related to blood glucose regulation without affecting any normal cells of the body,” he said. “All anticancer drugs usually have severe side effects, however the administration of 25 mg of oleocanthal through the dietary consumption of olive oil did not present any harmful effects for at least 6 months of everyday use.
“The addition of naturally produced high-oleocanthal olive oil in the diet of early-stage CLL patients at a dose of three tablespoons per day [40 mL] is a practice that may lower the cancerous white blood cells of the patients without any risk,” said Dr. Magiatis. “High-oleocanthal early-harvest olive oil has been consumed for centuries, and may be the key of longevity of several Mediterranean populations.
“In our study, the number of the white blood cells returned back to the number it was one year before the initiation of the study; this clearly shows that it could be a significant factor for the delay of the progress of the disease,” he said.
The current trial was a pilot study in one hospital with only 22 patients for 6 months, said Dr. Magiatis. “We are currently preparing the expansion of the study to other hospitals and other countries, and we aim to include at least 100 patients for at least 1 year, to validate the already-obtained beneficial results.”
The clinical trial is supported by the nonprofit organization World Olive Center for Health, he added.
The current study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
FROM FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY