Scientists from the University of Malaga integrated in the Biomedical Research Institute of the Andalusian city (IBIMA), in collaboration with experts from the Fat Institute (CSIC), have shown that the daily consumption of hydroxytyrosol, a polyphenol present in the oil of extra virgin olive , reduces or could even prevent vascular problems derived from diabetes mellitus . The research has been carried out with rats that had been inoculated with this disease. The study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry , has proven for the first time that continuous intake of hydroxytyrosol in low doses, 0.5 to 2.5 milligrams, is sufficient to reduce vascular inflammation associated with the disease.
To appreciate the benefits of hydroxytyrosol, you have to take the extra virgin oil raw and in daily amounts of about 30 or 40 milliliters, that is, about 3 tablespoons approximately. The key is to start this intake from the moment the disease is diagnosed to stop its progression, according to José Antonio González-Correa, one of the researchers responsible for the study at the University of Malaga. Hydroxytyrosol is a phenolic compound with antioxidant properties that is found naturally in olives and olive oil. Previous studies had already pointed out some of the effects it produces, such as that it reduces the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, that it prevents the appearance of certain types of cancer and that it has anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties.
The new Andalusian study has been carried out experimentally with 7 groups of rats of 10 specimens per group , some of them, the control groups, made up of non-diabetic animals, and others made up of diabetic animals that had been supplied a saline solution. Researchers induce diabetes to a degree that causes various pathologies but does not end their life.
To this end, they are kept for two months with high blood glucose levels – between 250 and 400 mg / dL (milligram per deciliter) – when normal values are in a range between 70-120 mg / dL. The results show that in the case of diabetic animals there is an increase in biomarkers related to vascular disease and a reduction in two vasodilator substances: nitric oxide and prostacyclin. This causes the blood vessels to narrow and prevent or reduce the circulation of blood through the arteries, with the consequent deterioration or even the death of the organic tissues of the body. In contrast, in the rats that were treated with hydroxytyrosol, the biomarkers of inflammation were reduced.
