OLIVE oil contains a naturally occurring compound that acts like a common painkiller, international scientists claim.

The finding may explain the benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet, according to team leader Paul Breslin, a sensory scientist with the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia.

“The Mediterranean diet, of which olive oil is a central component, has long been associated with numerous health benefits, including decreased risk of stroke, heart disease, breast cancer, lung cancer and some dementias,” he said.

Dr Breslin’s group, which includes Russell Keast of the RMIT University in Melbourne, reported last night in the journal Nature that the benefits of theMediterranean diet lay in a compound they discovered in olive oil and named oleocanthal.

The compound suppresses the same pain pathway as ibuprofen, one of Australia’s best-selling, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications.

The discovery was made when Dr Beauchamp attended a gastronomy meeting in Sicily. At the time, he was investigating the throat- biting “perceptual qualities” of ibuprofen.

“I had considerable experience swallowing and being stung in the throat by ibuprofen,” he said. “So when I tasted newly pressed olive oil while attending (themeeting), I was startled to notice that the throat sensations were virtually identical.”