Olive oil? Healthy or not?!

[mikeccolella]

What do you mean it’s another issue? That question was for sirius and the fmd study he posted. People smoke, drink heavily etc. in so called blue zones. Does that mean it’s healthy to do so? These arguments based on blue zone fat consumption are virtually useless imo. We do know fat, including olive oil have unhealthy effects on the endothelium. We do not have a controlled study comparing a very low fat diet with a high, so called good fat diet, that I am aware of. All this epedemiology is pretty worthless AFAICS. Also to sirius and others the flavor issue is not thread worthy! This thread is about one thing only. 

 

Is olive oil Healthy or not!

Edited May 15, 2019 by mikeccolella

[Sibiriak]

Quote

mikecollela: We do know fat, including olive oil have unhealthy effects on the endothelium

We do not know that olive oil's effects on the endothelium negatively effect human healthspan or lifespan.  If you  disagree, please present the evidence that  it does (showing negative effects on  long-term hard endpoints,  not mechanistic speculation).

Edited May 15, 2019 by Sibiriak

[mikeccolella]

Of course no one suggested otherwise! That’s why we are discussing it! 

[Sibiriak]

 

And no,  we do  not know that olive oil consumption has negative effects on the endothelium:

Vasculoprotective Role of Olive Oil Compounds via Modulation of Oxidative Stress in Atherosclerosis

Volha Summerhill,¹Vasilyi Karagodin,²Andrey Grechko,³Veronika Myasoedova,⁴ and Alexander Orekhov^1,4,*

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2018; 5: 188. Published online 2018 Dec 21. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2018.00188

PMCID: PMC6308304PMID: 30622950

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6308304/

 

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Abstract

Existing evidence supports the significant role of oxidative stress in the endothelial injury, and there is a direct link between increased oxidative stress, and the development of endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction precedes the development of atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD). The overproduction of reactive oxygen species facilitates the processes, such as oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins and phospholipids, reduction in the NOS-derived nitric oxide, and the functional disruption of high-density lipids that are profoundly involved in atherogenesis, inflammation, and thrombus formation in vascular cells. Thus, under oxidative stress conditions, endothelial dysfunction was found to be associated with the following endothelial alterations: reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, increased anticoagulant properties, increased platelet aggregation, increased expression of adhesion molecules, chemokines, and cytokines. In this review, we summarized the evidence indicating that endothelial damage triggered by oxidation can be diminished or reversed by the compounds of olive oil, a readily available antioxidant food source. Olive oil bioactive compounds exhibited a potent capability to attenuate oxidative stress and improve endothelial function through their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-thrombotic properties, therefore reducing the risk and progression of atherosclerosis. Also, their molecular mechanisms of action were explored to establish the potential preventive and/or therapeutic alternatives to the pharmacological remedies available.

 

* * * * * *

Conclusion

Accumulated data indicated that olive oil and its phenolic compounds have properties that broadly explain the cardioprotective effects of dietary patterns, where olive oil is the most essentially consumed fat. Since many general reviews on olive and its biophenols have been presented, in this paper we focused on the evidence of the cellular and molecular actions of these compounds that emerged in the last two decades. Thus, numerous epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies suggested that the consistent intake of olive oil can limit oxidative damage and inflammation, thereby restoring endothelial function and slowing atherogenic development as well as aiding in the control of cardiovascular risk factors. However, it should be emphasized that the oxidative stress hypothesis of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis is still debated following the inconclusive results of antioxidant clinical trials. Some researchers expressed the point of view that oxidative stress may not play the primary role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In terms of olive oil and its biophenols, their true contribution to cardioprotection is yet to be fully elucidated. Further high-quality human studies are required, in order to validate the numerous biological properties of these compounds, i.e., whether their biological effects can be achieved via normal dietary exposure to olive oil. However, the available evidence on olive oil vasculoprotective effects is abundant, which scientifically enables recommending its consumption as the major type of dietary fat. Pharmacological activities at the molecular level of olive oil compounds can be used as potential preventive and/or anti-atherosclerotic therapeutic targets.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by Sibiriak

[Sibiriak]

Effects of Olive Oil on Markers of Inflammation and Endothelial Function—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lukas Schwingshackl,^1,2Marina Christoph,¹ and Georg Hoffmann^1,*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4586551/

Nutrients. 2015 Sep; 7(9): 7651–7675. Published online 2015 Sep 11. doi: 10.3390/nu7095356

PMCID: PMC4586551 PMID: 26378571

 

Quote

Abstract

The aim of the present systematic review was to synthesize data from randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of olive oil on markers of inflammation or endothelial function. Literature search in electronic databases Cochrane Trial Register, EMBASE, and MEDLINE was performed. Thirty studies enrolling 3106 participants fulfilled the selection criteria. Pooled effects of different interventions were assessed as mean difference using a random effects model. Olive oil interventions (with daily consumption ranging approximately between 1 mg and 50 mg) resulted in a significantly more pronounced decrease in C-reactive protein (mean difference: −0.64 mg/L, (95% confidence interval (CI) −0.96 to −0.31), p < 0.0001, n = 15 trials) and interleukin-6 (mean difference: −0.29 (95% CI −0.7 to −0.02), p < 0.04, n = 7 trials) as compared to controls, respectively.

Values of flow-mediated dilatation (given as absolute percentage) were significantly more increased in individuals subjected to olive oil interventions (mean difference: 0.76% (95% CI 0.27 to 1.24), p < 0.002, n = 8 trials). These results provide evidence that olive oil might exert beneficial effects on endothelial function as well as markers of inflammation and endothelial function, thus representing a key ingredient contributing to the cardiovascular-protective effects of a Mediterranean diet. However, due to the heterogeneous study designs (e.g., olive oil given as a supplement or as part of dietary pattern, variations in control diets), a conservative interpretation of the results is necessary.

* * * * * *

4. Discussion

Synthesis of data available from RCTs in the present systematic review suggest that markers of inflammation (CRP, IL-6) and those characterizing endothelial function (FMD, sE-Selectin) were favorably affected following interventions with olive oil. Although it is likely that no single biomarker is able to represent all the important risk information, most of the outcome parameters taken into consideration in this meta-analysis are regarded to be valid indicators of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.

The association between serum CRP concentrations and cardiovascular risk has been suggested by various studies, and elevated CRP levels are regarded to be an independent risk factor for CVD [47,48]. The US Preventive Services Task Force performed a meta-analysis of 22 studies showing that CRP concentrations greater than 3.0 mg/L were associated with an approximate 60% excess risk of incident coronary heart disease as compared to levels less than 1 mg/L [49]. In addition, serum CRP levels can predict long-term risk of incidence of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, peripheral vascular disease and all-cause mortality [50]. Although the value of CRP as a predictor for CVD is still discussed controversially, decreases in CRP values found in the present meta-analysis may support the concept of a cardio-protective effect of olive oil intake. In addition to its function as a stimulator of CRP synthesis [51,52], IL-6 has been shown to correlate with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in prospective studies [53]. Moreover, increased baseline levels of IL-6 were found to predict future cardiovascular events [54].

The other inflammatory markers investigated in this systematic review were unaffected by olive oil interventions. Although TNF-α is a relevant trigger during the inflammatory response, it has only rarely been assessed in epidemiological studies [55]. Likewise, data on a potential association between adiponectin and CVD risk are inconclusive [56,57,58]. An independent association of hypoadiponectinaemia with endothelial dysfunction measured by FMD has been observed by Tan et al. [59] in diabetic patients. Changes in TNF-α and adiponectin did not differ between olive oil interventions and respective controls in the present meta-analyses, which might be explained by the low number of study participants enrolled in the RCTs assessing these parameters.

To assess endothelial function, one of the standard non-invasive tools is FMD, which is regarded to reflect the local bioavailability of endothelium-derived vasoactive substances such as nitric oxide or endothelin-1. Reduced values of FMD are regarded to be early markers of atherosclerosis [60] as well as a predictor of future CVD events [8,61]. The association between reduced FMD and cardiovascular risk in individuals with varying baseline risk was demonstrated by several studies [62,63,64]. In a meta-analysis by Inaba and co-workers [8] synthesizing data of 5,500 participants of observational studies, each 1% reduction of FMD was associated with a 13% risk increase for cardiovascular events. This would equal an approximately 10% risk reduction given the effects of olive oil on FMD in the present meta-analysis.

Selectins are primary adhesion molecules in the inflammatory process expressed on the surfaces of activated endothelial cells, platelets, and leukocytes upon stimulation by TNF-α, IL-6, and other pro-inflammatory cytokines [65]. Elevated concentrations of E-selectin were found to be associated with ischemic events independent of traditional risk markers in the PRIME study [66,67]. ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 promote the adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium. They are both up-regulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines, although VCAM-1 is considered to be expressed in more advanced states of atherosclerosis. This might explain at least in part why, in contrast to ICAM-1, reductions in VCAM-1 levels were not significantly more pronounced following olive oil interventions in the present systematic review.

Vascular reactivity is affected by food intake. Atherosclerotic events may be slowed down by anti-oxidant compounds in food via limiting oxidative damage and restoring endothelial function [68]. Thus, polyphenol intake has been associated with low mortality rates caused by coronary heart disease [69]. Other studies indicate that endothelial function and lipid profile were improved by anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory polyphenols [70]. Therefore, the phenolic compounds present in extra virgin olive oil might mediated the beneficial effects observed in the present meta-analyses. Extra virgin olive oil polyphenols demonstrated strong anti-oxidant properties in experimental studies [3,13]. In vivo studies in healthy volunteers and patients with hypercholesterolemia or stable coronary heart disease have demonstrated that polyphenols improve ischemic reactive hyperemia blood pressure as well as inflammatory status [4,71].

Another potential health-promoting ingredient of olive oil is oleic acid. High oleic acid content of olive oil was demonstrated to affect metabolic functions and cardiovascular risk factors [72]. In various meta-analyses and meta-regressions, beneficial effects of monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid on cardiovascular risk factors have been reported although the data available at present are still ambiguous [5,9,73].

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by Sibiriak

[Sibiriak]

The Mediterranean Diet, its Components, and Cardiovascular Disease

R. Jay Widmer, MD/PhD,^aAndreas J. Flammer, MD,^aLilach O. Lerman, MD/PhD,^b and Amir Lerman, MD

Am J Med. 2015 Mar; 128(3): 229–238.

PMID: 25447615

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4339461/

 

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Two randomized, blinded crossover trials have assessed the antioxidant effect of dietary supplementation of extra virgin olive oil in humans: EUROLIVE (47) and the Virgin Olive Oil Study (VOLOS) (48). The Italian VOLOS trial (48) studied the inflammatory protective potential of olive oil in 22 mildly dyslipidemic patients. After a seven week treatment period, levels of thromboxane B2 (an index of maximal platelet activation) and total antioxidant capacity of plasma were both reduced with administration of olive oil without change in overall serum lipid profiles. In the The Effect of Olive Oil on Oxidative Damage in European Populations (EUROLIVE) study (47), a randomized, crossover controlled trial performed at six research centers across five European studies, patients received olive oil with low, medium or high phenolic content for three weeks with intervening two week washout periods. There was a linear decrease in markers of oxidative stress with increasing phenolic content by 1.21 to 3.21U/L.

A recent randomized crossover trial in a small group of healthy patients demonstrated that not only does the Mediterranean Diet (rich with olive oil) improve endothelial function and reduce systemic inflammation, but it also improves endothelial progenitor cell numbers which the authors report as a marker of increased endothelial repair (49). Ex-vivo observations in healthy volunteers showed that, in contrast to butter- and walnut-rich meals, consumption of an olive oil-rich meal does not induce the postprandial activation of NF-kB pathway in monocytes (50), thus suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect. Recent data from our lab indicates a beneficial effect of olive oil supplementation on endothelial function in low-moderate risk patients (51).

Olive oil and health effects: from epidemiological studies to the molecular mechanisms of phenolic fraction   (2014)

https://www.ocl-journal.org/articles/ocl/full_html/2014/05/ocl140029/ocl140029.html

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Endothelium dysfunction: in different human trials, the consumption of meals with phenolic rich olive oil was shown to improve endothelium function in the postprandial period (Vogel et al., 2000; Karatzi et al., 2008; Fuentes et al., 2008; Ruano et al., 2007). Experimental studies carried out in different animal models of atherosclerosis, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia supported the link between endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. The different actions of polyphenols on endothelial and smooth muscle cells through nitric oxide (NO) stimulation have been reviewed (Andriantsitohaina et al., 2012). OOP’s were reported to contribute to increased NO levels and prevent the powerful oxidant peroxynitrite forming (Perona et al., 2006). Moreover, OOP’s were found to decrease homocysteine, which has been linked to increased adhesiveness of the endothelium (Manna et al., 2009).

The role of noninvasive cardiovascular testing, applied clinical nutrition and nutritional supplements in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease

Mark Houston

Ther Adv Cardiovasc Dis. 2018 Mar; 12(3): 85–108.

PMID: 29316855

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933539/

 

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Olive oil was associated with a decreased risk of overall mortality and an important reduction in CVD mortality in a large Mediterranean cohort of 40,622 participants. For each increase in olive oil by 10 grams per day there was a 13% decrease in CV mortality. In the highest quartile of olive oil intake, there was a 44% decrease in CV mortality.⁶⁰ One of the mechanisms by which the traditional Mediterranean diet (TMD), particularly if supplemented with virgin olive oil at 50 grams per day, can exert CV health benefits is through changes in the transcriptomic response of genes related to CV risk that include genes for atherosclerosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular immune dysfunction, T2DM and hypertension. This includes genes for ADR-B2 (adrenergic beta 2 receptor), IL7R (interleukin 7 receptor), IFN gamma (interferon), MCP1 (monocyte chemotactic protein), TNFα (tumor necrosis factor alpha), IL-6 and hsCRP.^56,61–63

 

 

[mccoy]

On 5/15/2019 at 2:04 PM, mikeccolella said:

What do you mean it’s another issue? That question was for sirius and the fmd study he posted. People smoke, drink heavily etc. in so called blue zones. Does that mean it’s healthy to do so? These arguments based on blue zone fat consumption are virtually useless imo. We do know fat, including olive oil have unhealthy effects on the endothelium. We do not have a controlled study comparing a very low fat diet with a high, so called good fat diet, that I am aware of. All this epedemiology is pretty worthless AFAICS. Also to sirius and others the flavor issue is not thread worthy! This thread is about one thing only. 

I was supporting your statement that so called control low fat diets often turn out not to be lowfat at all.

Blue zones constitute observational or epidemiological studies, whose drawbacks we all are aware about.

Sibiriak has provided some randomized controlled trials. I've not delved into their details.

Edited May 16, 2019 by mccoy

[Todd Allen]

On 5/16/2019 at 2:18 PM, mccoy said:

I was supporting your statement that so called control low fat diets often turn out not to be lowfat at all.

Blue zones constitute observational or epidemiological studies, whose drawbacks we all are aware about.

Sibiriak has provided some randomized controlled trials. I've not delved into their details.

I've quickly read through a couple of Sibiriak's (thanks for the links!) posted studies and chased links to RCTs such as EUROLIVE which despite typical limitations of duration and endpoints I find most interesting.  I have to admit to already leaning towards the opinion that olive oil ranks high in probability of being a healthful food and it is always easier to be thoroughly critical when material challenges ones beliefs.

[Ron Put]

A naysayer's overview of olive oil, which despite the fact that is selling a program, nevertheless ultimately makes quite a bit of of sense:

https://www.pritikin.com/your-health/healthy-living/eating-right/1103-whats-wrong-with-olive-oil.html

My take is, a little extra virgin olive oil (Costco's brand consistently tests as one of the best :) is just fine, as long as a replacement, not addition, to animal fats or vegetable oils.

Anecdotally: For moral reasons, I have been a vegetarian for decades now and used to consume significant amounts of olive oil until a few years ago (I love the taste). It was my main fat source. Back then my total total cholesterol was in the upper 190 range, with a good ratio, but still a bit high. Since I've reduced my olive oil consumption to probably a spoon or two a week, my total cholesterol has dropped to 160-170 (still good ratio).

I still eat quite a large percentage of fat (between 30 and 40 on the average day), mostly from cacao nibs, flax, nuts and avocados). My HSCRP, which was always relatively low, is hovering below measurable levels nowadays (<0.02). The main change I've made is dramatically lowering my olive oil consumption. I feel better, personally. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Edited May 18, 2019 by Ron Put

[Sibiriak]

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Ron Put:  A naysayer's overview of olive oil, which despite the fact that is selling a program, nevertheless ultimately makes quite a bit of of sense:

Actually, Pritikin's arguments make very little sense. (Btw, that link has been posted previously in this thread.)   It's worth recalling Michael Rae's incisive (and amusing!) rebuttal:
 

Quote

Quote

On 1/20/2017 at 5:42 AM, Gordo said:  Michael, I would love to know your opinion on the observations that after consuming olive oil one gets post postprandial impaired artery function, increased coagulation factors, fat in the blood, and angina

 

The short answer is that, of course, a long-term randomized controlled trial with hard outcomes beats a three-hour acute metabolic study any day. If I show you that Pill X lowers your risk of a heart attack, the fact that it also raises your postprandial LDL and TG is a mere metabolic curiosity.

I apologize (sincerely) for not having the time to dissect those studies, but the bottom line is that they're bunk. First, the dosages used are absurd: 50-80 grams of olive oil (≈1/4-1/3 of a cup) taken with a slice of bread is the typical design, which (a) is not a sensible dose, (b) lets the fat get into your system very quickly (if it doesn't give you the runs ...), and © combines the incoming lipemia with a shot of high-glycemic carb. "Use as directed" as part of a Mediterranean diet.

 Also, despite what he says, the "Methods" section of at least some of the cited studies just say they use "olive oil" — not EVOO. And, of course, if they just went to the store and bought "olive oil" (or even labeled "EVOO"), they could have wound up with either the old, peroxidized junk that passes for EVOO (70% of oils on the supermarket shelf in the UC Davis study), or (though I hasten to add that it's uncommon) with sunflower oil tarted up with chlorophyllin and beta-carotene.

There's also an untested assumption (or, possibly, bait-and-switch) built into them.  It's true that spontaneous impairments in endothelial function have been linked to bad cardiovascular outcomes. But he's here assuming that provoked decrements on the same test will have the same deleterious consequences – which AFAICS has never been tested. To make an analogy: if your resting heart rate looked like it does in the middle of a jog, you'd be on your way to a heart attack — but going for a jog is good for you, not bad. (And no, I am not pushing the analogy so far as to suggest that chugging oil to impair endothelial function is some kind of hormetic health protocol — just that you can't simply draw a line between unchallenged and challenged metabolic outcomes).

 Finally: angina? Seriously?? I — and hundreds of millions of people — bought and used refined olive oil (let alone real EVOO) for years; I never once recall suddenly suffering chest pains. I don't dispute that it may have happened, but if so, it's a testament to the ridiculous conditions under which the tests were carried out.

https://www.crsociety.org/topic/11719-olive-oil-healthy-or-not/?page=2&amp;tab=comments#comment-20336

[emphasis added]

 

Edited May 18, 2019 by Sibiriak

[Iporuru]

5 hours ago, Ron Put said:

A naysayer's overview of olive oil, which despite the fact that is selling a program, nevertheless ultimately makes quite a bit of of sense:
 

See also what Dean wrote about this overview:

 

[Ron Put]

14 hours ago, Sibiriak said:

Actually, Pritikin's arguments make very little sense. (Btw, that link has been posted previously in this thread.)   It's worth recalling Michael Rae's incisive (and amusing!) rebuttal:
 

 

Apologies for reposting, I was not aware of it being posted earlier. Thanks for pointing it out.

But I don't think it's so easy to dismiss, despite the bombastic claims. To me, the write-ups by places like U of San Diego (where they have a great lab specializing in testing olive oil, as I recall) which I posted above carry more weight than the somewhat muddy research like PrediMed which effectively seems to indicate that you'd get somewhat fewer instances of CVD if you substitute animal fats with olive oil.

Again, I am unclear what the defenders here are exactly defending. That eating copious amounts of olive oil is good for them, or that substituting olive oil for the animal fat and vegetable oils they would otherwise consume is good for them. If the latter, I am on board. If the former, not so much. 

I changed my intake of olive oil after reading a bit about it and my personal markers have improved, so I am quite satisfied with my decision.

Cheers.

Edited May 18, 2019 by Ron Put

[mikeccolella]

Michael’s last point is ridiculous it’s like someone commenting on a copd study showing smoking leads to shortness of breath and eventually copd. Yeah most people who smoke suffer no overt consequences, sometimes forever but usually they do eventually and often die an early death.

 

IAC I can get plant polyphenols all over the place without adding hundreds of empty fat calories along with it. Yes I think the evidence is there that the polyphenols of EVOO  help to mitigate the negatives of high fat meals, but why bother to eat something like that. I’ll stick with tea, green leafy veggies, berries, cruciferous veggies, citrus fruits all along with a few whole plant food fat sources like nuts and seeds and keep fat calories around 15% which is plenty enough fat.

Edited May 18, 2019 by mikeccolella

[mccoy]

On 5/18/2019 at 5:56 PM, Ron Put said:

I changed my intake of olive oil after reading a bit about it and my personal markers have improved, so I am quite satisfied with my decision.

That is a pretty valid conclusion if viewed by the lens of individual variability and subjective response to nutrients. Not so much if viewed in a statistical concept, which should be representative of a significant part of the population.

Also, total cholesterol by itself appears not to be the most significant parameter of a lipid panel, if cutting EVOO decresead your LDL and trigs, HDL remaining the same, then you can definitely say there has been an improvement (although the degree of significance mays vary in function of your starting points, percentiles and so on). But what about total calories? Have they remained the same? Has some ohter parameter changed which might have influenced lipid homeostasis? RCTs have the purpose to try and eliminate all extraneous influcences (although sometimes they are not able to do that).

Edited May 20, 2019 by mccoy

[Ron Put]

On 5/20/2019 at 12:02 AM, mccoy said:

That is a pretty valid conclusion if viewed by the lens of individual variability and subjective response to nutrients. Not so much if viewed in a statistical concept, which should be representative of a significant part of the population.

Also, total cholesterol by itself appears not to be the most significant parameter of a lipid panel, if cutting EVOO decresead your LDL and trigs, HDL remaining the same, then you can definitely say there has been an improvement (although the degree of significance mays vary in function of your starting points, percentiles and so on). But what about total calories? Have they remained the same? Has some ohter parameter changed which might have influenced lipid homeostasis? RCTs have the purpose to try and eliminate all extraneous influcences (although sometimes they are not able to do that).

Of course, I specifically noted that my own results are anecdotal and not relevant to anyone but me. But I did reduce my intake of olive oil based on my understanding of the studies I read and for me, the results have been positive. I realized that I was already consuming a lot of fats, from my daily diet of cacao nibs, nuts (walnuts mostly and often cashews (I love them)) and flax. Olive oil was just adding to it. 

My current total cholesterol is 170, with LDL at 87 and HDL at 73. Triglycerides are 54 (largely unchanged from before I cut EVOO. My HSCRP went from less than 0.02 to 0.35, which is a bit of a strange little jump (it's been consistently below 0.05 for the last few years), even though it's still rather low. But then I am pushing close to 60, so these tend to go up (or, it's just a fluke) :)

Total calories are relatively constant over time (I am not religious about anything but not eating animal flesh), and I tend to rotate the same stuff on my plate over time -- I tend to consume about 70%-90% of the average calories recommended by the US dietary guidelines. My BMI has been between 19.2 and 20 for most of my life.

So, for what it's worth, in my case, the main change is probably the olive oil.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Ron Put

[mccoy]

Ron, all other things aside, as we've been discussing in other threads, if we wish to reach an optimization it may be enough, for health purposes, to eat one tablespoon of very high poliphenols EVOO (very high meaning in the region of 600-700 mg/kg).

 

[mccoy]

On 5/18/2019 at 8:01 PM, mikeccolella said:

IAC I can get plant polyphenols all over the place without adding hundreds of empty fat calories along with it. Yes I think the evidence is there that the polyphenols of EVOO  help to mitigate the negatives of high fat meals, but why bother to eat something like that. I’ll stick with tea, green leafy veggies, berries, cruciferous veggies, citrus fruits all along with a few whole plant food fat sources like nuts and seeds and keep fat calories around 15% which is plenty enough fat.

The only pitfall I can find with the above reasoning is that you cannot find in other plant food the same polyphenols, in the same amount, found in EVOO.

For example,  70% of the polyphenol extract from EVOO has been found to be made up of the following secoiridoids:

1. oleuropein aglycone-the bitter principle of olives
2. its derivative decarboxymethyl oleuropein aglycone

 

Phenolic Secoiridoids in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Impede Fibrogenic and Oncogenic Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition: Extra Virgin Olive Oil As a Source of Novel Antiaging Phytochemicals

[mccoy]

On 5/18/2019 at 8:01 PM, mikeccolella said:

IAC I can get plant polyphenols all over the place without adding hundreds of empty fat calories along with it.

Again, you can take the best (secoridoids) and leave the worst (calories in your case) simply by buying the highest in total polyphenols EVOO on the market and eat half a tablespoon of it. That constitutes about 50 kcalories so with say 280 mg secoiridoids it would be a very good tradeoff.

Edited May 30, 2019 by mccoy

[Dean Pomerleau]

57 minutes ago, mccoy said:

Again, you can take the best (secoridoids) and leave the worst (calories in your case) simply by buying the highest in total polyphenols EVOO on the market and eat half a tablespoon of it. 

Perhaps an even better polyphenol bang for your calorie buck is olive leaf extract [1], as has been discussed before. 

--Dean 

T1] Br J Nutr. 2015 Jul 14;114(1):75-83. doi: 10.1017/S0007114515001269. Epub 2015

Secoiridoids delivered as olive leaf extract induce acute improvements in human
vascular function and reduction of an inflammatory cytokine: a randomised,
double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.

Lockyer S(1), Corona G(1), Yaqoob P(1), Spencer JP(1), Rowland I(1).

Author information: 
(1)Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food and Nutritional
Sciences, University of Reading,BerkshireRG6 6AP,UK.

The leaves of the olive plant (Olea europaea) are rich in polyphenols, of which
oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol (HT) are most characteristic. Such polyphenols have
been demonstrated to favourably modify a variety of cardiovascular risk factors. 
The aim of the present intervention was to investigate the influence of olive
leaf extract (OLE) on vascular function and inflammation in a postprandial
setting and to link physiological outcomes with absorbed phenolics. A randomised,
double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, acute intervention trial was
conducted with eighteen healthy volunteers (nine male, nine female), who consumed
either OLE (51 mg oleuropein; 10 mg HT), or a matched control (separated by a
4-week wash out) on a single occasion. Vascular function was measured by digital 
volume pulse (DVP), while blood collected at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 h was cultured 
for 24 h in the presence of lipopolysaccharide in order to investigate effects on
cytokine production. Urine was analysed for phenolic metabolites by HPLC.
DVP-stiffness index and ex vivo IL-8 production were significantly reduced (P<
0.05) after consumption of OLE compared to the control. These effects were
accompanied by the excretion of several phenolic metabolites, namely HT and
oleuropein derivatives, which peaked in urine after 8-24 h. The present study
provides the first evidence that OLE positively modulates vascular function and
IL-8 production in vivo, adding to growing evidence that olive phenolics could be
beneficial for health.

DOI: 10.1017/S0007114515001269 
PMID: 26051429  [Indexed for MEDLINE]

[Sibiriak]

Thanks Dean for bringing up the topic of OLE again.

See also my post here , which includes a reference to Michael Rae's opposed position:

https://www.crsociety.org/topic/12429-extra-virgin-olive-oil-evoo-sourcing/?page=2&amp;tab=comments#comment-22688

(btw,  you can get a high quality product which  combines organic extracts of olive oil, fruit  and leaf.)

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Sibiriak

[Ron Put]

On 5/30/2019 at 7:10 AM, Sibiriak said:

Thanks Dean for bringing up the topic of OLE again.

See also my post here , which includes a reference to Michael Rae's opposed position:

https://www.crsociety.org/topic/12429-extra-virgin-olive-oil-evoo-sourcing/?page=2&amp;tab=comments#comment-22688

(btw,  you can get a high quality product which  combines organic extracts of olive oil, fruit  and leaf.)

 

Thanks to both of you :) And everyone else who chimes in with info.

I am happy with my decision to cut dramatically my intake of olive oil Based on the results of my physical, my numbers are going in the right direction. I did have about a tablespoon and a half of some EVOO tonight, with a piece of fluffy, warm and nutrients devoid white bread, at an Italian restaurant. I normally resist, but not tonight :)

But I was intrigued by Dean's post on olive leaf extract and after reading a bit about it, I ordered some (produced by Toniiq -- it seemed as good as any and the packaging was much nicer :) ConsumerLab hasn't tested any olive leaf extracts, so who knows.

I read the paper "Hydroxytyrosol administration enhances atherosclerotic lesion development in apo E deficient mice" and frankly, it does not seem applicable to most of us. I figured I'd give it a try and see if it has any effect on my own numbers (based on that single paper, hydroxytyrosol taken on its own in massive quantities is supposed to increase total cholesterol, but then in olive leaf extract it is NOT taken by itself).

It's actually ironic that any weight is placed on it by people who are willing to disregard the considerable evidence that while EVOO may be BETTER than most common alternative dietary fats (animal or vegetable derived), it is nevertheless another processed fat, even if overall less harmful unless consumed only occasionally.  I'll repost a reputable source, for good measure:

"...any oil—including olive oil—is not a whole food and thus has little place in a whole food, plant-based diet. Like any other oil, olive oil is a processed, concentrated fat extract and thus has lost most of the nutritional value of its original form (the olive itself). If you want some nutritional value, you will find it by eating the whole olive—not by consuming it in its almost unrecognizable extracted oil form....

Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil a Healthier Choice?
In a cohort study designed to measure the effects of a Mediterranean diet as the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) was shown to be better than regular olive oil, but neither significantly reduced heart attack rates.

Other studies report similar findings, showing that EVOO damages endothelial function—just like its ‘regular’ olive oil counterpart.

In the PREDIMED study, 7447 people at high risk for cardiovascular disease were randomly placed into 3 groups. One group was told to eat a Mediterranean diet using only EVOO (up to 1 liter per week!). The second group ate a Mediterranean diet and added half-pound of nuts per week. The third group was told to reduce fat intake (but it didn’t).

After five years, the conclusions were stunning; there were nearly no differences between groups. No differences in weight, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, or lipid profile.

And no difference in the number of heart attacks or deaths from cardiovascular disease; those in the EVOO group suffered just as many heart attacks and cardiovascular disease as those in the control group (there was a significant reduction in the number of strokes, but that reduction was greater in the group that ate nuts). ..."

https://ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2016/05/why-you-should-opt-out-of-olive-oil/#gs.bcopqu

Also, olive oil testing by manufacturers seems suspect to me, just as self-testing by the supplements industry is at times inaccurate. Some of the numbers I see appear rather optimistic -- polyphenols levels of 500 are not easy to come by at best of times and almost impossible outside of a few weeks in March and April in the Northern Hemisphere. My bet is that something like Olive Leaf Extract, which is about as processed as oil, provides a healthier alternative for most.

Edited May 31, 2019 by Ron Put

[mikeccolella]

Dean is right to focus on the good elements without all the fat. The last time I checked Dean was eating a whole food plant based diet with 15% fat. That was a while ago so not sure if that is still the case.

fat is fat is fat! Empty calories of which we only require minimal amounts and possibly higher levels with meals are damaging to our endothelial tissues similar to smoking. So yes you won’t get angina by eating it and neither will you get it from a cig, but let’s not call it healthy. 

Olive oil healthy or not? There are much better choices to spend my calories on. Choices loaded with essential nutrients and Fibre of which olive oil has neither.

Edited May 31, 2019 by mikeccolella

[Dean Pomerleau]

5 minutes ago, mikeccolella said:

 last time I checked Dean was eating a whole food plant based diet with 15% fat. That was a while ago so not sure if that is still the case.

My diet hasn't changed much in the last few years. It's still vegan and fairly low in fat - ~20% from whole plant foods (nuts, seeds and avocados). My weight has been quite stable as well at ~129lbs, or a BMI of ~19.5.

--Dean

[mikeccolella]

3 hours ago, Dean Pomerleau said:

My diet hasn't changed much in the last few years. It's still vegan and fairly low in fat - ~20% from whole plant foods (nuts, seeds and avocados). My weight has been quite stable as well at ~129lbs, or a BMI of ~19.5.

--Dean

Your weight is stable! I’m not surprised. I believe the biggest message wrt whole food plant based diets is the ease of appetite control. My BMI is 21.5. Processed foods are a nightmare and worse than cigarettes imo based on the damage they are causing to human health.

[Ron Put]

On 5/30/2019 at 4:36 AM, mccoy said:

The only pitfall I can find with the above reasoning is that you cannot find in other plant food the same polyphenols, in the same amount, found in EVOO.

...

But it appears that the leaves of the olive tree have a higher concentration of oleuropein aglycone, without the fat:

"In the fruits, phenyl acids, flavonoids and secoiridoids have been reported, the phenolic compounds representing 1–3% (w/v) Brenes et al., 1993. In the leaves, 19% (w/w) is oleuropein and 1.8% (w/w) flavonoids, of which 0.8% is luteolin 7-glucoside (Le Tutour and Guedon, 1992). " https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S131901641000040X

The above does not address the bioavailability of olive leaf extract phenolics in humans, but these do (and it seems good):

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258044243_Bioavailability_of_phenolics_from_an_oleuropein-rich_olive_Olea_europaea_leaf_extract_and_its_acute_effect_on_plasma_antioxidant_status_Comparison_between_pre-_and_postmenopausal_women

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.5625
 

Edited June 1, 2019 by Ron Put