Greek researchers recently investigated the effects of oleuropein, an antioxidative extract from olives, on laboratory animals. The researchers, from the University of Athens, Greece, published their findings in the August issue of the Journal of Nutrition (see http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/136/8/2213).
The researchers supplemented the diet of laboratory animals--on either a normal or high-cholesterol diet--with 10 mg or 20 mg of oleuropein for a period of three or six weeks. The animals were then subjected to the conditions of a heart attack. Animals on the normal diet and lower dosage of oleuropein for either three or six weeks, as well as animals on the high-cholesterol diet and given the higher dosage of the extract for six weeks, had reduced effects from the induced conditions. These results suggest that oleuropein might improve blood flow leading to a reduced risk for cardiovascular complications.
Although the researchers note that the effects of oleuropein require study and analysis in human subjects, these results were promising. Several different studies have shown how the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in olive oil, can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
