Benefits of hydroxytyrosol, an oil compound

Extra virgin olive oil. is a fantastic product for its uses and properties, but today we are going to focus on one of its components, hydroxytyrosol. This is another of the valuable components found in quality extra virgin olive oils. A compound that provides us with a large number of health benefits, among many others that we have in the oil. Therefore, we have yet another reason to consume olive oil, and if we buy quality olive oil, so much the better.

Summary: Hydroxytyrosol is a compound found in olive oil, and the fresher the extra virgin olive oil, the more abundant it is. It is also much more effective when taken in its natural form, i.e. with olive oil. In our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid or our online shop, you can buy the best extra virgin olive oils from the best production areas. Areas, like: Baena, olive oil from Jaén, Sierra Magina, Sierra de Cazorla, Priego de Córdoba, Toledo…. Also, the best oil brands: El Empiedro, Oro Bailen, Casas Hualdo, Castillo de Canena, etc…

Related articles: Where to buy a good olive oil?

1. Hydroxytyrosol, a compound of olive oil

A new study carried out in Santiago de Chile by the University of Chile and carried out with mice. They has discovered that a compound that contains extra virgin olive oil, hydroxytyrosol is able to reverse some negative effects of a high-fat diet. This compound was able to modify the markers of insulin resistance. Also, was able to modify non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis, i.e., the so-called “fatty liver”  in mice that were subjected to a high-fat diet. Fatty liver is a collection of fat in the liver that is not related to alcohol consumption. Jow ever, it is very closely related to overweight.

According to Rodrigo Valenzuela, director of this research, which has been published in the international research journal Lipids in Health and Disease, the hydroxytyrosol in extra virgin olive oil is a polyphenol with great antioxidant properties. Also, it can play a key role in improving our health, as mice that were fed a high-fat diet, hydroxytyrosol played a protective role in their liver.

There are countless studies that show that the consumption of extra virgin olive oil is very beneficial to health. However, the objective of this research focused on the effect of the component of this oil, hydrosytirosol, on specific liver enzymes. Components, which play a major role in the synthesis of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Some of which are essential for maintaining good vascular health.

Picture 1: Extra virgin olive oil from Jaén

a) Working method

Four groups of 12 to 14 mice were fed a high-fat diet, about 60% of which was fat. On the other hand, about 10% of which was a more normal diet. Some were given 5 mg of hydrosytirosol by mouth per kilogram of body weight for 12 weeks. During the study, blood and tissue samples were collected in order to analyze the dietary effects of these diets on:

1. the oxidative stress (oxidative damage)
2. fatty acid composition
3. enzymatic activity of several of its organs.

The results of this research showed an increase in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad”. However, it unchanged HDL cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol in mice that were subjected to a high-fat diet, which was attenuated by the intake of hydroxytyrosol. The high-fat diet also resulted in increased insulin resistance markers. Furhtermore, they were reduced when hydroxytyrosol was added, but not in mice fed a low-fat diet.

It was also found that mice that received a high-fat diet resulted in a decrease in liver enzymes in their bodies. Consequently, it is associated with an imbalance in the fatty acid composition of the liver, brain and heart. It was also found that mice that had a high-fat diet with hydroxyrosol supplementation did have enzymatic activity and their fatty acid composition in all three organs. Also, thir results were similar to rodents fed a low-fat diet.

Complementing what has already been said, Valenzuela .”It is therefore fascinating to discover that such a low incorporation of a compound found in extra virgin olive oil, hydroxytyrosol. This component has been able to reverse these effects, reduce the symptoms of fatty liver disease. Furthermore, it reduces other negative effects on other organs.

b) Conclusion

According to the researchers of this stud. Benefits of extra virgin olive oil may be largely due to one of the minor components of this oil, hydroxytyrosol.

Rodrigo Valenzuela concluded that hydrosytirosol is a compound that protects against oxidative stress and the composition of fatty acids harmful to the liver, heart and brain caused by a high-fat diet. However, more research is needed to know if this is also true of the human body, as this research was done in mice, not humans.

Sources:

The national Newspaper : Un compuesto del aceite de olivavirgen extra ayuda  a revertir los efectos de la dieta rica en grasa. http://www.abc.es/

Web encyclopedia of health information: