Researchers from the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology at the University of Córdoba have managed to offer new evidence on the health benefits of regular consumption of virgin olive oil, which will be published in the journal AGE, which is highly relevant in the field of biogerontology. Observing the changes in certain proteins used as markers, they have verified the influence of virgin olive oil on theprotection against inflammation, oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk typical of aging.
Cordovan scientists carried out the tests studying how the oil in the diet affects the plasma proteins of young (6 months) or old (24 months) rats fed throughout their lives withdiets that contained virgin olive oil or sunflower oil as a fat source. They also used a proteomic strategy based on the separation of proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis – a technique widely used in molecular medicine – and subsequent identification by mass spectrometry – which allows the components to be precisely analyzed.
In this way, José Manuel Villalba and his team have proven that, compared to the diet containing sunflower oil, the diet enriched in virgin olive oil induced significant decreases in the plasma levels of acute phase proteins, just the opposite of what happens in inflammatory processes, as well as in common proteins in situations ofoxidative stress, and those related to blood coagulation, cardiovascular risk, as well as metabolism and lipid transport.
The UCO researchers highlight the fact that olive oil significantly reduced the levels offibrinogen, one of the main markers associated with cardiovascular risk, those ofT-kininogen, whose levels increase substantially during the last months of life in the rat, those ofΒ-glycoprotein I, a protein related to thrombotic complications in autoimmune patients, and those of theclusterina, a protein whose levels are increased in various pathological states such as atherosclerosis and constitute a marker in the development of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. As if that were not enough, the diet enriched in olive oilincreased levels of apolipoprotein AI, a protein related to protection against arteriosclerosis.
