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    A new antihypertensive substance in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) was recently discovered by researchers from the Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry in the University of Athens. MILESTONE® High Phenolic Olive Oil was chosen for the isolation of the compound because the NMR peak was one of the highest among 2120 samples from all over the world. The researchers concluded that elenolide is a potential antihypertensive substance of EVOO and its concentration is a potential marker of high quality oils with low water content 1.

    High Phenolic Olive Oil for Blood Pressure Control

    It is the first time that the precise structure of elenolide is characterized by NMR and the first time that elenolide is proved to be artificially transformed to elenolic acid during usual chromatography in aqueous media, Professor Magiatis stated in a recent press release from the Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry in the University of Athens.

    This research has been supported by the ARISTOIL project under the INTERREG MED EU programme.

    Is it Effective?

    Polyphenols found in olive oil have been linked to a number of cardiovascular health advantages. The purpose of the study performed by researchers at the University of Seville, Spain, was to look at how high phenolic olive oil affects blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function in 24 young women with high-normal BP or stage 1 essential hypertension 2. When compared to baseline values, only the polyphenol-rich olive oil diet led to a significant (P < 0.01) decrease of 7.91 mm Hg in systolic and 6.65 mm Hg of diastolic BP. A similar finding was found for serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) (–0.09 ± 0.01µmol/l, P < 0.01), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) (–28.2 ± 28.5µg/l, P < 0.01), and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) (–1.9 ± 1.3 mg/l, P < 0.001). The polyphenol-rich olive oil diet also elicited an increase in plasma nitrites/nitrates (+4.7 ± 6.6µmol/l, P < 0.001) and hyperemic area after ischemia (+345 ± 386 perfusion units (PU)/sec, P < 0.001). They discovered that consuming a diet rich in high phenolic olive oil can lower blood pressure and improve endothelial function in young women with high-normal blood pressure or stage 1 essential hypertension.

    More recently, 2020, the effect of high polyphenol extra virgin Olive oil on blood pressure and arterial stiffness in healthy Australian adults was also performed. 50 participants (age 38.5 13.9 years, 66 percent female) were randomized to take 60 mL/day of either high phenolic olive oil (360 mg/kg polyphenols) or low phenolic olive oil (86 mg/kg polyphenols) for three weeks in a double-blind, randomized, controlled cross-over experiment. After a two-week washout period, individuals switched to the other oil. After consuming high phenolic olive oil, the peripheral and central systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased by 2.5 mmHg (95 percent CI: 4.7 to 0.3) and 2.7 mmHg (95 percent CI: 4.7 to 0.6), respectively. The reductions in SBP after high phenolic olive oil consumption suggest a potentially widely available dietary intervention for preventing cardiovascular disease in a multiethnic group 3. Finally, in a recent study by the Institute of Clinical Physiology at the University of Lecce, Italy, researchers concluded that due to its high oleic acid (omega 9) and antioxidant polyphenol content, the consumption of olive oil may be advised as the optimal fat choice in the management protocols for hypertension in both healthy and cardiovascular disease patients 4.

    Summary

    High phenolic olive oil is an excellent functional food for omega 3 6 9. We are proud to be producing one of the best polyphenol-rich olive oils in the world that has further been awarded two additional health claims for its high content in omega 3 (ALA) 6 and 9 fatty acids. Functional foods are definitely the products that you should invest in, if you are ready to join us on a life-changing preventative nutrition program. Visit our online healthy food store and discover more about this or the rest of our functional nutrition products.

    A Word From MILESTONE®

    MILESTONE® Food for your Genes uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

     

    1. Rigakou A, Diamantakos P, Melliou E, Magiatis P. S-(E)-Elenolide: a new constituent of extra virgin olive oil. J Sci Food Agric. 2019 Sep;99(12):5319-5326. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.9770. Epub 2019 May 30. PMID: 31038226.[]
    2. Rafael Moreno-Luna, Rocio Muñoz-Hernandez, Maria L. Miranda, Alzenira F. Costa, Luis Jimenez-Jimenez, Antonio J. Vallejo-Vaz, Francisco J.G. Muriana, Jose Villar, Pablo Stiefel, Olive Oil Polyphenols Decrease Blood Pressure and Improve Endothelial Function in Young Women with Mild Hypertension, American Journal of Hypertension, Volume 25, Issue 12, December 2012, Pages 1299–1304, https://doi.org/10.1038/ajh.2012.128[]
    3. Sarapis K, Thomas CJ, Hoskin J, et al. The Effect of High Polyphenol Extra Virgin Olive Oil on Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Healthy Australian Adults: A Randomized, Controlled, Cross-Over Study. Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2272. Published 2020 Jul 29. doi:10.3390/nu12082272[]
    4. Massaro M, Scoditti E, Carluccio MA, et al. Effects of Olive Oil on Blood Pressure: Epidemiological, Clinical, and Mechanistic Evidence. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1548. Published 2020 May 26. doi:10.3390/nu12061548[]