It is an established fact that women in Mediterranean countries have a lower incidence of breast cancer. Doctors have been somewhat puzzled over the reason for this occurance and research has been underway to find some connection. Now, researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine are reporting that the reason for this may be quite simple… olive oil.

The report, published in the Annals of Oncology, cites that oleic acid, found in olive oil, significantly cuts the levels of the breast cancer-promoting gene HER-2/neu by up to 46 percent. About a fifth of women with breast cancer exhibit high levels of this gene, which makes the disease difficult to treat.

Doctors have been treating breast-cancer with the drug Herceptin, a substance that targets this gene. But olive oil may do the same thing, and certainly may explain why women in countries where olive oil is a staple appear to have lower risk at developing breast cancer than those who do not. Olive oil is also thought to increase the effectiveness of Herceptin.

Javier Menendez, who led the study, writes, 'Our findings underpin epidemiological studies that show that the Mediterranean diet has significant protective effects against cancer, heart disease and aging.” This certainly may be an important breakthrough in both preventing and treating breast cancer.