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The key is an ingredient of olive oil called oleic acid, they say.

Northwestern University laboratory tests on breast cancer cells showed the acid sharply cut levels of a gene thought to trigger the disease.

Cancer charities said the study, in Annals of Oncology, was interesting, but more research was needed.

The researchers found that oleic acid cut activity levels of a gene called Her-2/neu, which occurs at high levels in over a fifth of breast cancer patients and is associated with highly aggressive tumours with a poor prognosis.

Not only did oleic acid suppress activity of the gene, it also boosted the effectiveness of a breast cancer drug called herceptin, which has helped to prolong the lives of many patients.

Lead researcher Dr Javier Menendez said: "Our findings underpin epidemiological studies that show that the Mediterranean diet has significant protective effects against cancer, heart disease and ageing."

Primary Prevention of Diabetes: What Can Be Done and How Much Can Be Prevented?

Although it is widely believed that type 2 diabetes mellitus is the result of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors, scientists at the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts have found compelling evidence from epidemiologic studies indicating that the current worldwide diabetes epidemic is largely due to changes in diet and lifestyle.

Prospective cohort studies and randomised clinical trials have demonstrated that type 2 diabetes can be prevented largely through moderate diet and lifestyle modifications. Excess adiposity is the most important risk factor for diabetes, and thus, maintaining a healthy body weight and avoiding weight gain during adulthood is the cornerstone of diabetes prevention. Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours such as prolonged TV watching are important both for maintaining body weight and improving insulin sensitivity.

There is increasing evidence that the quality of fat and carbohydrate plays a more important role than does the quantity, and thus, public health strategies should emphasize replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats and replacing refined grain products with whole grains.

Recent studies have also suggested a potential role for coffee, dairy, nuts, magnesium, and calcium in preventing diabetes. Overall, a healthy diet, together with regular physical activity, maintenance of a healthy weight, moderate alcohol consumption, and avoidance of sedentary behaviours and smoking, could nearly eliminate type 2 diabetes. However, there is still a wide gap between what we know and what we practice in the field of public health; how to narrow that gap remains a major public health challenge.