OLIVE OIL

and its effects on

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

THE OLIVE
TREE
Sacred to Athena
(Minerva in the Roman
world), because gift of
the Goddess to men, but
also collected at the
ends of the world by
Hercules in the place
that will become a wood
consecrated to Zeus,
even coming from the
Paradise Earth
according to a legend
that would have him
born on the tomb of
Adam, the olive tree has
its roots in the history of
humanity and is
intertwined with folk
tales, mythology and
religion.
THE OLIVE
OIL
Olive oil is obtained from
the pulp of the stone fruit
of the olive tree (Olea
europaea sativa).
More than 90% of the
world’s olive harvest
comes from the
Mediterranean region,
primarily in Italy and
Spain.
Olive oil is a
monounsaturated fat
composed almost entirely
Olive oil, along with VOO and EVOO, is the prince of the Mediterranean diet, which is of triglycerides
the heritage of millennia and one of the healthiest diet patterns globally, especially in The most represented
Mediterranean countries, and eliminates the risk factors for CVDs that represent the fatty acids are oleic,
principal cause of deaths worldwide. linoleic and palmitic.
Indeed, MD had been popular in everyday life and declared as an Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010.
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are often called “silent killers,” and it is estimated
that approximately 17.7 million people died from CVDs representing 31% of all
global deaths (Roth, et al., 2017).

According to the WHO, it is estimated

that 7.4 million deaths were due to coronary
heart disease and 6.7 million people died due
to stroke in 2015.

CVDs are a group of disorders such as chronic heart

disease, stroke, rheumatic heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, congenital heart
disease, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis and generally proliferate by
accumulation of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels causing a
blockage and stoppage of blood circulation.
 Traditionally was believed
that the high content of
WHICH IS THE LINK BETWEEN OO AND CVDs?
MUFAs was considered to
be responsible for the
protective effects of EVOO.
Now it is known that most of
these benefits are related to
the minor components in
the unsaponifiable fraction
(about 2% of oil weight),
including phenolic
compounds, phytosterols,
tocopherols, and pigments.

EVOO: Extra Virgin olive oil

OO: Olive oil
VOO: Virgin olive oil
OP: Olive polyphenols
OLP: Olive leaves polyphenols
OL: Olive leaves
 WHICH IS THE LINK BETWEEN OO AND CVDs?

Major components on Olive Oil

• Hydroxytyrosol, one of the major phenolic constituent in olive oil, has been
reported to alone reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and atheroscelosis. It
has also been postulated that hydroxytyrosol inhibits arachidonic acid
lipoxygenase and seems to inhibit platelet aggregation. It is presumed that
hydroxytyrosol penetrates in cell membranes and consequently can inhibit the
production of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) effectively from endogenous arachidonic .
 Hydroxytyrosol site of
action.

Decreased production of
leukotriene B4, which has
a pivotal role in
inflammation.

Oleocanthal site of action.

Analogue for action to
Ibuprofen.

Image from Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease

WHICH IS THE LINK BETWEEN OO AND CVDs?
• OO and VOO contain around 70%–80% oleic acid, which
plays a significant role in the management of BP. It makes
structure alternations in membrane lipid in a way to
handle G protein-mediated signaling, which regulates
phospholipase C and adenylyl cyclase and results in a
decrease in BP.

• Rodriguez-Rodriguez et al. (2008) reported that OO

components (oleanolic acid) decrease smooth muscle cell
Calcium by NO release from dependent endothelium and
result in relaxation.

• Oleuropein is a key biphenol compound present in OL

reported to have a strong antihypertensive effect.
Oleuropein reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) in male
SHR Sprague Dawley rats (Ghibu et al., 2015).
IN SUMMARY
 IN CONCLUSION
Over the past few decades, the use of olive oil and its products
in everyday life has a long history of nutrition and therapeutical
actions. A large number of study results confirmed that OO and
its metabolites are very beneficial for the handling of CVDs.

In the recent past, there was a growing trend to conduct a lot of

research work on olive oil polyphenols and results found that
olive oil polyphenols increase the HDL level, prevent from
oxidative stress, reduce thrombogenic, endothelial dysfunction,
BP, and inflammation.

From this point of view, the ingestion of olive oil and its
products needs to be recommended not only due to its
beneficial fatty acid profile but also in order to gain advantages
from its very important bioactive components that have
constructive effects on human health.
PAPERS
THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION!
Be careful not to drop the oil to the ground,
in Italy it’s portent of discord!