Daily Use of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with High Oleocanthal Concentration Reduced Body Weight, Waist Circumference, Alanine Transaminase, Inflammatory Cytokines and Hepatic Steatosis in Subjects with the Metabolic Syndrome: A 2-Month Intervention Study

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Angelo M. Patti, University of Palermo; Giuseppe Carruba, ARNAS Civ Cristina & Benfratelli Hosp; Arrigo F. G. Cicero, University of Bologna; Maciej Banach, Medical University Lodz; Dragana Nikolic, University of Palermo; Rosaria Giglio, University of Palermo; Antonino Terranova, University of Palermo; Maurizio Soresi, University of Palermo; Lydia Giannitrapani, University of Palermo; Giuseppe Montalto, University of Palermo; Anca Pantea Stoian, Carol Davila University of Medicine & Pharmacy; Yajnavalka Banerjee, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences; Ali A. Rizvi, Emory University; Peter P. Toth, University of Illinois; Manfredi Rizzo, University of Palermo
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-10-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/metabo10100392
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Metabolites
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 10
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 14
• Grant/Funding Information: This research received no external funding and has been performed independently, using university research funds only. The authors did not receive financial or professional help with the preparation of the manuscript.
• Keywords: Markers; Cardiovascular disease; Mediterranean diet; Nutraceuticals; oleocanthal; Fat; Liver; metabolic syndrome; Lipoproteins; cytokines; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; polyphenols; olive oil; Science & Technology; Low density; Heart disease; Primary prevention; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nutrition; Chemistry, Biochemistry; Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) intake is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk, and its phenolic compound oleocanthal (OC) has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The cardiometabolic effects of EVOO with a high OC concentration have not been fully elucidated. We administered EVOO with a high OC concentration daily to 23 subjects with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hepatic steatosis (15 men and 8 women, age: 60 ± 11 years) for 2 months. Anthropometric data, metabolic parameters, hepatic steatosis (by fatty liver index, FLI), abdominal fat distribution (by ultrasound), and pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines were assessed before and after the intervention. EVOO supplementation was associated with a reduction in body weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), alanine transaminase and FLI, as well as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-1B, while IL-10 increased. Maximum subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT max) also increased, with a concomitant decrease in the ratio of visceral fat layer thickness/SFT max. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations between changes in body weight and BMI and those in SFT max, along with an inverse association between changes in IL-6 and those in SFT max. In conclusion, ingestion of EVOO with a high OC concentration had beneficial effects on metabolic parameters, inflammatory cytokines and abdominal fat distribution in MetS subjects with hepatic steatosis, a category of patients at high cardiometabolic risk.