Latest Articles
![]() Insomnia and Short Sleep Duration Associated With Increased Mortality RiskAccording to research, men with insomnia and sleep duration of six or fewer hours... |
![]() Walnut Consumption Significantly Decreases LDL CholesterolResearchers have found that high-walnut-enriched diets significantly decreased total and LDL cholesterol for the... |
![]() Dietary Fat Linked to Pancreatic CancerAccording to a study, high intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy... |
![]() New Evidence Why Repair of Myelin Fails in Multiple SclerosisResearch has uncovered new evidence suggesting that damage to nerve cells in people with... |
![]() Memory Test Helps Understand Parkinson's Disease Effect on BehaviorA new neuropsychological memory test developed by Dr. Mark Gluck, is helping to uncover... |
![]() Patient Receives Cardiac Stem Cells in Clinical TrialDoctors at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have announced the completion of the first procedure... |
![]() Mechanism for Amyloid Beta Protein's Toxic Impact in Alzheimer'sResearchers have uncovered a novel mechanism linking soluble amyloid β protein with the synaptic... |
Most Read
![]() Obesity Increases Aggressive Prostate Cancer RiskAccording to the findings from a randomized, controlled clinical trial, obesity is associated with... |
![]() New Blood Test Increases the Accuracy of Prostate Cancer DiagnosisAccording to a study at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a new blood test used... |
![]() Device Highlighted As an Effective Treatment for High Blood PressureRESPeRATE, the only medical device cleared by the FDA and CE-approved for the adjunctive... |
![]() Grapes May Help Fight High Blood Pressure and Heart DiseaseA University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests that eating grapes helps fight high... |
![]() Psoriasis Associated With Cardiovascular DiseaseAccording to research, the skin disease psoriasis is associated with atherosclerosis (a buildup of... |
![]() Ginkgo Biloba Extract Offers Some Benefit for Multiple SclerosisMultiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease afflicting young and middle-aged adults, resulting in... |
![]() Cherry Supplement Improves Pain and Function in OsteoarthritisAccording to recent research, ground whole Montmorency tart cherries in pill form may be... |
| Study Reveals the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Virgin Olive Oil |
|
Researchers from the Lipids and Atherosclerosis Unit of the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Spain have conducted a study in order to determine the influence of the micronutrients of certain fats on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer, and if their consumption might modify the inflammatory process in healthy people. They studied diets based on three different fatty compositions, namely extra virgin olive oil, nuts and butter, observing that extra virgin olive oil modulates a healthy downward trend on individuals’ inflammatory levels, whereas a diet rich in nuts has an intermediate effect and the diet rich in butter exerts a damaging effect on inflammation mediators. Scientific journals specializing in nutrition, such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, have already echoed the results of this work carried out by the Lipids and Atherosclerosis Unit of the Reina Sofía University Hospital. The researchers have observed that olive oil reduces the plasmatic concentration of molecules in the walls of blood vessels that promote inflammation. They attribute this beneficial effect of olive oil partly to the high presence of micronutrients that might have an effect similar to that of anti-inflammatory drugs. Antioxidant Properties The Lipids and Atherosclerosis Unit is presently working in the search for beneficial effects related to the usual consumption of virgin olive oil. According to lead researcher Doctor Pablo Pérez Martínez, “the main property of olive oil is its richness of antioxidants, which makes it a unique fat. Therefore, we must clarify which is the added value of its components, as that is the only way to establish that a healthy diet must contain olive oil as its main fat. Olive oil is a key food in the Mediterranean diet, as it is its main source of fats and provides it with high-nutritional-value micro-components. According to the researcher, a diet based on olive oil lowers LDL cholesterol, reduces blood pressure, improves diabetes control and reduces risk of thrombosis. In the last years, and thanks to the new technologies, we have other oils suitable for human nutrition with a similar fatty composition, such as those extracted from certain seeds with high varieties of oleic, like sunflower, soya and canola oil. However, such oils present an essential difference with the oil extracted from olives, as “olive oil is a natural juice, which contains hundreds of non-fatty micro-components of biological interest, such as vitamin E, carotenes, scalene, chlorophyll and, especially, phenolic compounds”. Micronutrients Benefits According to Doctor Pérez Martínez, “the results of this study confirm once again the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, a model of nutrition with a high monounsaturated fat content from virgin olive oil, able to induce a wide range of biological effects on the cardiovascular system. In addition the most recent studies are gradually defining that some benefits depend on or can be favored with the consumption of olive oil rich in micro-components, like in the case of extra virgin olive oil and its anti-inflammatory properties, which are a new added value, together with the rest of well-known beneficial effects. References: 1. Dr Pablo Pérez Martínez. A study reveals the anti-inflammatory properties of virgin olive oil. Oleociencianews. 2, Image by byZED More Nutrition Related Articles
|



















