Phenolic compounds in olive oil could repress genes linked to inflammation, providing a molecular basis for the reduction of heart disease risk already linked to olive oil. A new study tested the impact of an olive-oil rich breakfast in people suffering from metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions linked to heart disease and diabetes.
The study showed that intake of virgin olive oil was able to repress the expression of several pro-inflammatory genes, switching the activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to a less damaging inflammatory profile.
NutraIngredients reports:
“Previous studies had shown that the consumption of olive oil with a high phenolic content could help reduce pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidant and pro-thrombotic markers compared with the consumption of low phenols virgin olive oil. The researchers of the current study set out to investigate whether the beneficial effects of olive oil could be linked to gene activity.”