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How Olive Oil Is Important For Heart Disease Prevention?
 

A Mediterranean diet is one that incorporates the dietary patterns of Greece, Southern Italy, and Spain in the 1940s and 1950s. It includes proportionally high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, and vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption, and low consumption of red meats.

Being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber, Mediterranean diet is often praised to be a healthy diet. One of main reasons is that olive oil contains monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid. Many findings have shown that the Mediterranean diet may lower the risk of heart disease and early death. A 2013 study reported that people following a Mediterranean diet had a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke, and olive oil seems to be the main health-promoting component of the diet.

In the latest paper published February 13, 2017 in journal ‘Circulation’, Spanish researchers suggested that a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil may help to lower the risk of heart disease at least in part because it helps maintain healthy blood flow and clear debris from arteries.

Hypothesis, made by the researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Barcelona, is that these dietary antioxidants may bind to the HDL (high-density lipoproteins or the good cholesterol) particles to protect them against different kinds of attacks. The more protected HDL can perform their biological functions more efficiently and, so they can remove cholesterol from arteries or contribute to the relaxation of blood vessels for longer.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or the bad cholesterol and triglycerides, when in high levels in the body, can lead to higher risk of cardiovascular disease including heart disease and stroke. HDL, on the other hand, can help lower the risk since it helps remove excess LDL from the bloodstream.

For the study, 296 participants who were 66 years old on average were involved. They were assigned to one of the 3 diets: a Mediterranean diet supplemented with one liter per week (about 34 fluid ounces) of extra virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with 30 grams (1 ounce) of nuts a day, or a low-fat diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. They were asked to follow their assigned diet for a year.

Data on blood cholesterol levels of the participants were examined and compared to the levels measured at the start of the study. Only the low-fat diet was linked to reduced LDL and total cholesterol levels and none of the 3 diets increased HDL levels significantly. But people who had the diet with olive oil showed better HDL functioning: their HDL was better able to pluck out LDL from heart vessel walls and move them to the liver for removal, to work as an antioxidant, protecting against the inflammation-related damage that can weaken blood vessels and make them more vulnerable to heart attack-triggering plaques, and to keep the blood vessels elastic and pliable.

While it is hard to detect meaningful differences in outcomes because the 3 diets used in the study were all relatively healthy, the findings did add to the growing evidence that HDL function may affect cardiovascular risk. Though scientists have yet to ascertain exactly why Mediterranean diet can lower risk of heart disease, the study did suggest one reason might be that the Mediterranean diet, especially when enriched with virgin olive oil, improves the function of HDL.

Olive oil has been known for its ability to lower the levels of total blood cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, and it does not alter the levels of HDL-cholesterol. It may even raise them, which plays a protective role and prevents the formation of fatty patches, thus stimulating the elimination of the LDL. It is beneficial in primary prevention by reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease as well as in secondary prevention form recurrence after a first coronary event.

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