Abstract P335: Greater Frequency of Olive Oil Consumption is Associated with Lower Platelet Activation in Obesity

Abstract

Healthy lifestyle behaviors, including maintenance of normal weight, are associated with lower risk of atherothrombotic events. In the general population, consumption of olive oil and a Mediterranean diet are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, less is known about how this affects individuals with obesity. We investigated whether olive oil intake is associated with reduced platelet activation in a cohort of obese, non-smoking, non-diabetic subjects without known CVD. As part of a larger prospective study of platelet function in obesity, we assessed platelet activation (surface P-selectin and PAC1 MFI) with and without agonist (0.025U thrombin, 0.1uM ADP, 0.4uM epinephrine) exposure via flow cytometry. Food frequency surveys were used to estimate diet composition. Subjects were stratified by food intake frequency and platelet activation was compared using ANOVA, with post-hoc independent samples t-testing. Among 63 subjects, the mean age was 32.2 ± 8.0 years and BMI 44.1 ± 8.5 kg/m 2 . Olive oil intake frequency was stratified into 3 groups: ≤ 1 time/wk, n=21; 1 - 3 times/wk, n=18; ≥ 4 times/wk, n=24. The groups did not differ by age, weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences, platelet count or mean platelet volume. Subjects with more frequent olive oil intake showed lower platelet activation to agonists than those consuming olive oil ≤ 1 time/wk (Figure). Non-agonized platelet activity did not differ significantly by olive oil intake frequency. Notably, we did not observe associations between platelet activity and consumption of red meat, eggs, butter, or margarine. In metabolically healthy obese individuals, more frequent olive oil intake is associated with suppressed platelet activation. We hypothesize that phenolic compounds in olive oil may alter platelet membrane phospholipid content, making platelets less susceptible to activation. For obese individuals, olive oil intake may lower risk of cardiovascular events.