Anti-Atherogenic Properties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Abstract

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is an important constituent of the Mediterranean diet as well as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Recent meta-analysis showed that compared to low polyphenol olive oil, high polyphenol EVOO significantly improved measures of malondialdehyde, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), inflammatory markers and blood pressure [1], suggesting significant anti-atherogenic effects of EVOO.In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial (RCT), 41 adult women with excess body fat received daily high-fat breakfasts containing 25 mL of soybean oil (control group, n = 20) or EVOO (EVOO group, n = 21) during nine consecutive weeks [2]. Fat loss was about 80% higher on EVOO compared to the control group (-2.4 ± 0.3 kg vs. -1.3 ± 0.4 kg, P = 0.037). EVOO also reduced diastolic blood pressure when compared to control (-5.1 ± 1.6 mm Hg vs. +0.3 ± 1.2 mm Hg, P = 0.011).The RCT was conducted on 60 already diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia [3]. EVOO showed 8-12% increase in HDL-C. EVOO has been also reported to promote cholesterol efflux by HDL, improving HDL functionality [4]. EVOO consumption reduced the age-related decrease in HDL and paraoxonase-1 anti-inflammatory activities [5]. EVOO intake increased HDL-C and decreased total cholesterol (TC)/ HDL-C and triglyceride (TG)/HDL-C in postmenopausal women [6].Thirty impaired fasting glucose (IFG) patients were randomly allocated to a meal containing or not 10 g of EVOO in a cross-over design [7]. Before, 60 min and 120 min after lunch, a blood sample was taken. EVOO was associated with a reduction of glucose (P = 0.009) and dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (DPP4) activity (P < 0.001) and a significant increase of insulin (P < 0.001) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the meal containing EVOO showed a significant decrease of TG (P = 0.002) and Apo B-48 (P = 0.002) compared with the meal without EVOO. EVOO use was also associated with improved post-prandial blood glucose and LDL-C in healthy subjects [8].Habitual consumption of EVOO has been also reported to improve endothelial function in patients with prediabetes and diabetes [9]. Further, the systematic review on beneficial effects of EVOO, and in conjunction with the Mediterranean style diets, reported that EVOO improved inflammation, oxidative stress, coagulation, platelet aggregation, fibrinolysis, and endothelial function [10].In conclusion, although EVOO may have possible antiatherogenic properties, the real beneficial effects of EVOO on human health need to be clarified in new well-designed clinical studies.

Olive oil protects against progression of heart failure by inhibiting remodeling of heart subsequent to myocardial infarction in rats

“…A recent study on 7447 participants concluded that in the group supplemented with Mediterranean diet, containing extra virgin olive oil, was at a lower risk for developing major cardiovascular events compared to the control group (Estruch et al, 2018 ). Many other previous studies have reported that the protective effect of olive oil and its major component oleic acid in cardiovascular disease may derive from its antioxidant (Al‐Shudiefat et al, 2013 ; Fitó et al, 2005 ), antiapoptotic (Chiang & Chao, 2018 ; Elgebaly et al, 2018 ), inotropic (Asoom & Al‐Hariri, 2019 ; Javidanpour et al, 2018 ; Loewi, 1955 ; Pi & Walker, 2000 ), antihypertensive (Alcaide‐Hidalgo et al, 2020 ; Massaro et al, 2020 ), antiatherogenic (Visioli & Galli, 2001 ; Yanai, 2019 ), anti‐inflammatory (Fernandes et al, 2020 ; Santangelo et al, 2018 ), and a reduction in TNF‐α (Papageorgiou et al, 2011 ) effects. However, studies are required to show its use in ameliorating fibrosis and inflammation in later stages of MI.…”

Neuroprotective effects of Olea europaea L. fruit extract against cigarette smoke‐induced depressive‐like behaviors in Sprague–Dawley rats

“…The olive fruit extract has been known to reduce body weight, diabetes, cholesterol, and inflammation (Ghanbari et al., 2012). Olives contain a wide variety of bioactive components including oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol that possess health‐promoting properties due to their anti‐allergic (Kishikawa et al., 2017), antioxidant (Khaliq et al., 2015), antiatherogenic (Yanai, 2019), anti‐inflammatory (Maalej et al., 2017), antimutagenic (Issazadeh et al., 2012), and antithrombotic effects (Nasopoulou et al., 2018). Oleuropein is the major bioactive component of unprocessed and un‐ripened green olives which during ripening, due to chemical and enzymatic degradation, is converted to hydroxytyrosol in black olives.…”