Olive oil has been implicated over and over again in prevention of
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cardiovascular disease in many populations. Research has found that the oleic acid and other phenolics in the olive oil contributes to lowered cardiovascular disease risk, specifically interacting with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and other urinary proteomic biomarkers.
A new study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition aimed to evaluate whether or not supplementing a person’s diet with olive oil had any effect on various urinary proteomic biomarkers for coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes. Additionally, two olive oil treatments were compared: one with low levels of phenolics or one with high levels of phenolics.
69 healthy people participated in this study and were randomly assigned supplementation with either high phenolic olive oil, or low phenolic olive oil. Supplementation occurred daily over a period of 6 weeks. Daily doses were 20mL.
Low phenolic olive oil was categorized as containing 18mg caffeic acid equivalents per kg, while high phenolic olive oil was categorized as containing 286mg caffeic acid equivalents per kg.
Urinary proteomic biomarkers, blood lipids, antioxidant capacity, and glycation markers were measured were measured at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks after daily olive oil supplementation.
Important Findings
Daily supplementation of both olive oils reduced biomarker levels for coronary artery disease.
Daily supplementation of both olive oils had no influence on biomarker levels of chronic kidney disease or diabetes.
There were no significant differences in reduction of disease biomarkers between olive oil with low levels of phenolics versus olive oil with high levels of phenolics.
The results of this study indicate that supplementation with olive oil improved coronary artery disease risk based on urinary proteomic
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biomarkers in healthy adults. On the other hand, olive oil supplementation did not seem to influence chronic kidney disease or diabetes risk based on urinary proteomic biomarkers.
Finally, there were no significant differences between the high and low phenolic doses of olive oil supplements, indicating that low dose of 18mg caffeic acid/kg is just as good as a high dose of 286mg caffeic acid per kg in reducing coronary artery disease risk.
Systemic inflammation is known to be associated with several health problems and diseases, including various types of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancers. It is also known that a poor diet is also linked to these same diseases and more, raising the question of
Photo By Dimitrije Krstic (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commonswhether diet choice is associated with systemic inflammation, or if these markers for certain diseases are mutually exclusive.
A new research study from Lund University in Sweden focused on a group of 667 older adults between the ages of 63 and 68, to determine if diet quality was associated with the clinical signs of systemic inflammation.
At baseline, the participants answered questions related to socio-demographics. Additionally, height, weight, BMI, hip and waist circumferences, blood pressure, various blood sample measurements, and diet quality indices were collected and analyzed.
As we get older, our risk of cardiovascular problems increases, particularly in the form of endothelial function and microvascular
Photo by Anne Brown Rodgers [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commonsstrength and integrity. Part of the story is age, while another part might be related to diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices.
One recent study out of the UK examined whether or not this decline in endothelial function and microvascular integrity could be reversed when combining exercise and the Mediterranean diet for a total of 8 weeks. This study followed up with participants after one year, to determine if this improvement in cardiac function remained, or if when transitioning back to their pre-study diets their risk for declining endothelial and microvascular health once again increased to their pre-study levels.
This study measured various outcomes related to endothelial function and microvascular integrity on 20 individuals aged 55 and older. In the original study, half the participants participated in a specific exercise regime, while the other half was put on a specific Mediterranean diet plan and did the same exercise regime as the first group, all for 8 weeks.
One year later, the same outcomes related to endothelial function and microvascular integrity were measured on these 20 individuals.
Photo by Bill Branson (Photographer) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsImportant Findings:
A new study in the journal Nutrition examined the effect of switching to a Mediterranean diet on mental and cardiovascular health outcomes.
The study included 24 female participants who were randomly assigned to either switching to a Mediterranean-style diet or no diet change for 10 days before switching back to their original diet for another 10 days (in the case of the Mediterranean diet group).
Researchers measured mood, cognition, blood pressure, blood flow velocity, and arterial stiffness at the beginning of the study, on day 11 after
Photo By Kk90aa. (Own work.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commonscompleting the first diet segment, and again at day 22 after completing the switch back to their original diets.
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