Abstract
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) intake is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk, and its phenolic compound oleocanthal (OC) has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The cardiometabolic effects of EVOO with a high OC concentration have not been fully elucidated. We administered EVOO with a high OC concentration daily to 23 subjects with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hepatic steatosis (15 men and 8 women, age: 60 ± 11 years) for 2 months. Anthropometric data, metabolic parameters, hepatic steatosis (by fatty liver index, FLI), abdominal fat distribution (by ultrasound), and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were assessed before and after the intervention. EVOO supplementation was associated with a reduction in body weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), alanine transaminase and FLI, as well as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-1B, while IL-10 increased. Maximum subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT max) also increased, with a concomitant decrease in the ratio of visceral fat layer thickness/SFT max. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations between changes in body weight and BMI and those in SFT max, along with an inverse association between changes in IL-6 and those in SFT max. In conclusion, ingestion of EVOO with a high OC concentration had beneficial effects on metabolic parameters, inflammatory cytokines and abdominal fat distribution in MetS subjects with hepatic steatosis, a category of patients at high cardiometabolic risk.
Highlights
The relationship between the traditional Mediterranean diet (MD) and human health has been known since ancient times and several studies have shown the beneficial effects of the MD in preventing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) [1,2,3], as well as those on weight control, without significant adverse events [4,5,6]
We found that 2 months of Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) supplementation led to a significant reduction in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, alanine transaminases (ALT) and fatty liver index (FLI)
We tested if there were any gender-specific changes in the cardiometabolic effects of EVOO after the supplementation, the number of women was low
Summary
The relationship between the traditional Mediterranean diet (MD) and human health has been known since ancient times and several studies have shown the beneficial effects of the MD in preventing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) [1,2,3], as well as those on weight control, without significant adverse events [4,5,6]. Oleocanthal (OC) is a phenolic compound found mostly in EVOO which is responsible for its bitter taste, having strong anti-inflammatory properties based on the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) [12]. For this reason, OC is recognized as a natural non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent [13,14,15,16]. Several studies have shown that the phenolic compounds of EVOO have beneficial anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activities [17]. It has been suggested that long-term daily intake of OC-containing EVOO may be, at least in part, responsible for the health protection of Mediterranean populations [12]. The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is rapidly increasing in such populations, since dietary habits and lifestyles have strongly changed in the last decades [18,19]
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