Olive oil’s anti-inflammatory benefits linked to gene expression

By Lorraine Heller, 30-Jun-2010

Phenolic compounds in olive oil could help repress genes linked to inflammation, thereby providing a molecular basis for the reduction of heart disease risk already linked to the consumption of olive oil.


The study, published in Biomed Central (BMC) Genomics, tested the impact of consuming an olive-oil rich breakfast in people suffering from metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions linked to heart disease and diabetes.

“This study shows that intake of virgin olive oil based breakfast, which is rich in phenol compounds is able to repress in vivo expression of several pro-inflammatory genes, thereby switching activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to a less deleterious inflammatory profile,” wrote the researchers.

“These results provide at least a partial molecular basis for reduced risk of cardiovascular disease observed in Mediterranean countries, where virgin olive oil represents a main source of dietary fat.”


Previous studies had shown that the consumption of olive oil with a high phenolic content could help reduce pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidant and pro-thrombotic markers compared with the consumption of low phenols virgin olive oil.

The researchers of the current study set out to investigate whether the beneficial effects of olive oil could be linked to gene activity. Their approach was to identify expression changes in genes which could be mediated by olive oil phenol compounds.

Study details

The study, which followed a double-blinded, randomized, crossover design, involved 20 patients suffering from metabolic syndrome. After an initial six-week wash-out period during which participants did not take supplements, vitamins or drugs, they were fed two virgin olive oil-based breakfasts with high (398 ppm) and low (70 ppm) content of phenolic compounds.

All participants consumed a similar low-fat, carbohydrate rich diet during the study period to eliminate potential impacts resulting from their usual dietary habits.

After tracking the expression of over 15,000 human genes in blood cells during the after-meal period, the researchers identified 79 genes that were underexpressed (or turned down) by the high phenol olive oil, and 19 genes that were overexpressed (or turned up).

“Many of those genes have been linked to obesity, high blood-fat levels, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Importantly, several of the turned-down genes are known promoters of inflammation, so those genes may be involved in ‘cooling off’ inflammation that often accompanies metabolic syndrome,” writes the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), which was involved in the study.

The researchers concluded that their findings strengthen the relationship between inflammation, obesity and diet, and provide evidence at transcription level of control of healthy effects derived from virgin olive oil consumption in humans.

However, they added that “it would be interesting to evaluate whether these beneficial effects are maintained after prolonged feeding and if these effects are carried out by one or several olive oil phenolic compounds, or if they are consequence of a synergic effect of the total phenolic fraction.”

Remember you can get some great tasting local olive oil right down Balfour Rd at the McCauly Bros. store. This is the xxtra-virgin oil, single press which has the most loaded with polyphenols, the most important component of olive oil. By the way ask for the REMAJO brand grown on the Giessman property.


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Dale Giessman, DC
350 John Muir Pkwy., Suite 265
Brentwood, CA 94513
925-513-8883

The natural wine and tea components appear to stop or slow the initiation, promotion, and progression of prostate cancer.

(NaturalNews) A major new discovery just reported in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) journal could be a major advance in the treatment of prostate cancer. Not only have the phytonutrients in red wine and green tea been found to halt prostate cancer growth, a team of French and Japanese scientists are reporting they know exactly why this occurs.

Antioxidants known as polyphenols in red wine and green tea produce a combined effect that disrupts an important cell signaling pathway necessary for prostate cancer to thrive. The result? The natural wine and tea components appear to stop or slow the initiation, promotion, and progression of prostate cancer.
Dr. Dale's comment:

Mother nature continues to show profound effects on our health as is described in this new study on polyphenols from red wine and green tea. Not only does this show the protective qualities but also the halting and normalizing after cancer cells have established themselves. So drink to your health, feel free to consume green tea irresponsibly but your red wine responsibly.

The research team conducted lab experiments which showed green tea and wine polyphenols killed prostate cancer cells by inhibiting sphingosine kinase-1/sphingosine 1-phosphate (SphK1/S1P), the cell pathway that's essential for malignancies to survive and thrive. "Not only does SphK1/S1P signaling pathway play a role in prostate cancer, but it also plays a role in other cancers, such as colon cancer, breast cancer, and gastric cancers," Gerald Weissmann, MD, editor-in-chief of the FASEB Journal, pointed out in a statement to the media.

For their research, the scientists studied mice which were genetically altered to develop a human prostate cancer tumor. The rodents were either treated or not treated with green tea and wine polyphenols. The tumors in the mice given the green tea and wine mixture stopped growing.

Then, in order to study the preventive effects of polyphenols, the scientists carried out another experiment using three groups of mice implanted with human prostate cancer cells. One group was given plain drinking water, the second received drinking water with a green tea compound known as EGCg and the third group was given drinking water with a different green tea compound called polyphenon E. The results showed cancerous tumors dramatically decreased in the mice drinking either of the green tea extracts.

"The profound impact that the antioxidants in red wine and green tea have on our bodies is more than anyone would have dreamt just 25 years ago," Dr. Weissmann said in the press statement."As long as they are taken in moderation, all signs show that red wine and green tea may be ranked among the most potent 'health foods' we know."

Source: Natural News

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Dale Giessman, DC
350 John Muir Pkwy., Suite 265
Brentwood, CA 94513
925-513-8883