Effect of Olive Pomace Oil on Cardiovascular Health and Associated Pathologies
What this study found
No significant effects on lipid profile, blood pressure, and endothelial function were observed, except a decrease in visceral fat after OPO intake and an increase in leptin levels in the hypercholesterolemic group, suggesting potential positive impacts on cardiometabolic health.
- Study & population
- A randomized, blinded, cross-over, controlled clinical trial involving 31 normocholesterolemic and 37 hypercholesterolemic subjects.
- Intervention
- Participants consumed 45g/day of olive pomace oil (OPO) or sunflower oil (SO) for 4 weeks, each preceded by a 3-week run-in/wash-out phase with corn oil.
- Key limitation
- Results do not provide conclusive clinical evidence; further studies in diverse populations are needed.
View source
Open PDFOriginal abstract
Background: olive pomace oil (OPO) is a nutritionally relevant fat due to its high oleic acid content (C18:1) and the presence of a wide range of minor bioactive components. Although numerous in vitro and preclinical studies have been developed to study some of its characteristic components, the health effect of prolonged OPO consumption is unknown. Methods: a randomised, blinded, cross-over, controlled clinical trial was carried out in 31 normocholesterolemic and 37 hypercholesterolemic subjects. Participants consumed 45 g/day of OPO or sunflower oil (SO) for 4 weeks, each preceded by a 3-week run-in/wash-out phase with corn oil (CO). Results: regular consumption of OPO and SO had no statistically significant effect on any of the markers related to lipid profile, blood pressure, and endothelial function in both groups, except for eNOS levels, which were close to statistical significance due to the effect of oil (OPO and SO) (p = 0.083). A decrease in visceral fat (p = 0.028) in both groups was observed after OPO intake, accompanied by an increment of leptin (p = 0.017) in the hypercholesterolemic group. Conclusion: reducing visceral fat after prolonged OPO intake might contribute to improve cardiometabolic status, with a potentially positive effect on the vascular tone. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm the present results.