The mechanism of Heart Benefits of Olive oil being explored
20 Jun 2010
J. Valverde
The health benefits of olive oil could be due to an antioxidant. 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol (or HT) is a phytochemical present in olive that is considered to be after Gallic acid one of the most powerful antioxidants (40,000 μmol TEAC per gram measured as Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).
A recent study conducted in Spain by The Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) and the private company Puleva Biotech, shows that HT is rapidly absorbed and 50% of this was detected in association with low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol (or the so called bad cholesterol). Oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) plays a central role in the development of cardio vascular diseases (CVD).
The first of the study investigated the absorption of pure hydroxytyrosol (99.5%) administered as a supplement in an aqueous solution (2.5 mg/kg BW) in the plasma and urine of healthy volunteers (n = 10).
Plasma Cmax for HT and homovanillic alcohol (HvOH) were detected at 13.0 ± 1.5 and 16.7 ± 2.4 min, respectively.
After 2 hours of the administration of the supplement the HT and HvOH levels were undetectable. Some HT metabolites were found in the 24 hr urine samples of the volunteers.
The second part the same amounts of HT were administered to the subjects and the presence of HT in purified plasma lipoproteins was investigated in LDL fractions freshly isolated. 10 min after the ingestion of the HT supplement, more than 50% of the total amount detected was present in the LDL-purified fractions and its concentration declined in accordance with its presence in plasma but no changes were found in total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde or LDL lag time.
These results indicate that pure HT transiently associates with LDL lipoproteins in vivo.
For further details on this study please check:
González-Santiago, M.; Fonollá, J.; Lopez-Huertas, E., Human absorption of a supplement containing purified hydroxytyrosol, a natural antioxidant from olive oil, and evidence for its transient association with low-density lipoproteins. Pharmacological Research 61, (4), 364-370.
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