Oil for Life to Balance omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ... - Oil4Life

Unfortunately, these results were neglected and disregarded for many years; only recently
the importance of the minor components of virgin olive oil was raised because of its
antioxidant properties (Berra B., 1998, Owen R.W. et al., 2000).
7.5 Protective effects of secoiridoids, oleuropein and phenols in olive oil on protection
against LDL oxidation
Secoiridoids are a class of compounds found only in virgin olive oil. In view of their
physico-chemical characteristics, it is believed that they may be the chief causes of the
antioxidant activity ascribed to the polar minor components of olive oil. One molecule that is
particularly well represented in this family is oleuropein (Berra B. et al., 1989, Cortesi N. et
al., 1995) a bitter-tasting glycoside. Upon enzymatic hydrolysis, oleuropein loses its
saccharide component and becomes soluble in the oil. Further hydrolysis converts it into phydroxyphenyl
ethanol and 3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl ethanol. We have carried out research on
the possible protection provided by olive oil phenols against LDL oxidative processes.
Recent studies have in fact shown that oxidized lipoproteins (particularly LDLs) play an
important if not fundamental role in the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis. Oxidised LDLs
contain oxysterols to which have been attributed many actions harmful to cell life (Guardiola
F. et al., 1996). This theory is supported by the discovery of the presence of peroxidised
LDL in the atheroma (Carpenter K.L. et al., 1995) and by proof of the anti-arteriosclerotic
effect of antioxidants (Visioli F. et al., 1995, Wiseman S.A. et al., 1996).
The study in an in vitro model of human LDL indicates that both tyrosol and an extract
containing polar minor components of virgin olive oil inhibit oxysterol formation and
peroxidation of the protein component of the LDLs.
The mixture of polar minor components is more active than the single ingredients on their
own, presumably because of a synergistic effect of the different molecules, all of which have
antioxidant activity. The substances present in virgin olive oil exert a protective effect at a
lower concentration than do other natural antioxidants such as vitamin E (Berra B. et al.,
1995, Caruso D. et al., 1999).
Further studies in humans indicate that these biophenols are absorbed, metabolized and
excreted as glucurone-derivatives (Bonanome A. et al., 2000, Visioli F. et al., 2000). Worthy
of note is the evidence that they are found only in lipoproteins containing cholesterol.
To conclude, it can be asserted that virgin olive oil displays a marked stability to oxidation
due to its good monounsaturates/polyunsaturates ratio and to the presence of various natural
antioxidants. It is readily digested and absorbed and it has proved to work very well in
cholesterolaemia control. For all these reasons, virgin olive oil has distinctive nutritional
properties, as has been proven in epidemiological and biochemical studies, that make it an
ideal fat for the population in general and not just for the peoples of the Mediterranean area
where it has been consumed since time immemorial. The clinical studies also mentioned in
this article support nutritional research in an “extreme model” capable of highlighting the
mechanisms whereby the components in the oil itself act. At the same time they strive to
identify a useful element in the oil that could be incorporated into a nutraceutical or a
functional food. In fact, virgin olive oil should not be considered a drug but a food
exclusively, albeit one that it is distinctive and healthy as used in the Itogha products
Oil4Life Cardio and Oil4Life Balance.
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