EVOO consumption is associated with cardiovascular benefits, according to a team of scientists led by IMDEA Food Institute

• A recent human study reveals new insights into the effects of one of the components of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), hydroxytyrosol (HT), on the modulation of circulating exosomes and transported microRNAs.

• The results have shown that consumption of this phenolic compound reduces LDL oxidation and may act in the early stages of atherosclerosis development. The study has been published in Molecular Nutrition Food Research.

A study identifies phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil that may be beneficial against the development of cardiovascular disease. Researchers from the IMDEA food institute (Madrid), CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia), and the University of Padova (Italy) associate hydroxytyrosol consumption with healthy outcomes, as it reduces the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, known as bad cholesterol.

This line of research demonstrates how certain nutrients or bioactive compounds in the diet influence the human epigenome and act to prevent various common diseases such as atherosclerosis. Specifically, it provides new insights into the effects of hydroxytyrosol, one of the most active compounds present in extra virgin olive oil, which could act in the early stages of the development of these pathologies by protecting against the accumulation of fat, cholesterol, or other substances in the arteries.

The scientific team has discovered that this compound modulates certain genetic elements that circulate in plasma transported in nanovesicles called exosomes. They have identified microRNAs (molecules that affect gene expression) that are related to processes linked to improvements in cardiovascular disease, such as response mechanisms to low oxygen levels and epithelial and smooth muscle cell functions. These findings help us better understand the potential health benefits of EVOO, as well as develop new tools for Precision Nutrition, as it has been proven that individual response depends not only on age, sex, or genetics, but also on physical activity, dietary patterns, and microbiota composition.

The work, which has just been published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, was conducted in humans over the last year and was led by the Lipid Metabolism Epigenetics group at the IMDEA Food Institute in Madrid, together with the Food and Health Laboratory of the Segura Center for Soil Science and Applied Biology (CEBAS-CSIC) in Murcia, and the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of Padua. They have examined how supplementation with 25 mg/day of hydroxytyrosol acts on one of the initial stages of atherosclerosis, reducing LDL oxidation and inducing epigenetic changes through microRNAs.

The door is open to further research

“These results give us a much clearer view of the molecular mechanisms behind the beneficial health effects associated with extra virgin olive oil,” affirm scientists Alberto Dávalos (IMDEA Alimentación), Juan Carlos Espín (CEBAS-CSIC), and Francesco Visioli (University of Padova), who also explain that “it shows that hydroxytyrosol supplementation impacts the epigenome and promotes the secretion of exosomes, which carry certain specific microRNAs derived from the intake of this phenolic compound.”

These researchers, who led this important study, confirm “the step forward this represents for new research on these molecules and also for incorporating new elements into our diet with the goal of improving health and preventing common diseases.”

The team also included other experts in this field, such as M. Carmen López, Joao Tomé-Carneiro, Andrea del Saz, María Carmen Crespo, Carmen Mazarío, María Ángeles Ávila, Luis A. Chapado, Lidia Daimiel, and Victoria Martín.

This new line of research opens a path to further explore the possibility of incorporating new elements into the diet to prevent the spread of prevalent disorders. Changes in the expression of miRNAs have also been detected, some of them related to oncological or cardiovascular pathologies. These data could provide additional information on the mechanism of previous tests describing the anticancer and cardioprotective effects of some phenolic compounds

Source – IMDEA Food Institute