Olive pomace oil is made with the remains of the olives that remain after producing olive oil with them –what is known as alperujo–, and it is considered of lower quality than other types of olive oil, however, Spanish research has shown that people who consume it regularly obtain benefits for cardiovascular health and a lower risk of developing diseases such as diabetes or obesity, because it reduces cholesterol and improves insulin sensitivity.
Spain is the world’s leading producer of olive pomace oil, which has a composition rich in oleic acid, with bioactive compounds of great nutritional interest, and is characterized by its durability, profitability and neutral flavor. The new study has been carried out by researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology of Food and Nutrition (ICTAN) of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
The researchers have analyzed the data from two nutritional intervention clinical trials in which 132 healthy volunteers and individuals at risk for hypercholesterolemia have participated, which have lasted more than four years, and have compared the effects of olive pomace oil with those sunflower oil and high oleic sunflower that are widely used in Spain. The results have been published in the European Journal of Nutrition, Nutrients and Foods.
Regular consumption of olive pomace oil was also associated with a significant reduction in waist circumference, associated with increased cardiometabolic risk.
“When we started this project, only in vitro or preclinical studies had been carried out in experimental animals with some components of olive pomace oil. However, the effect of regular consumption of this oil in people was not known. For this reason, we set out to evaluate the impact of its daily consumption on cardiovascular health and on two associated pathologies such as diabetes and obesity, both in healthy consumers and in people with cardiovascular risk,” said Laura Bravo Clemente, a researcher at CSIC at ICTAN.
“We randomly distributed the participants into two groups to consume either the olive pomace oil or the control oil for four weeks. After this time and after a washing phase, the participants were crossed to consume the other oil for the same time, another four weeks. The studies were blind, so the volunteers were unaware of the oil that we provided them at each stage and that they consumed at a rate of 45 grams per day. Their consumption of other fatty dietary sources was restricted”, explained the CSIC researcher at ICTAN Raquel Mateos Briz.
Less risk of diabetes in pomace oil consumers
The results of the research showed that a regular consumption of olive pomace oil had positive effects in preventing cardiovascular diseases, both in healthy participants and in hypercholesterolemic participants. Specifically, an improvement in the blood lipid profile of these people was observed thanks to a decrease in the levels of total cholesterol and bad cholesterol or LDL (low-density lipoproteins).
In both groups, regular consumption of olive pomace oil was also associated with a significant reduction in waist circumference, a key marker in the evaluation of patients with obesity as it is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk, and was also observed an improvement in biomarkers related to insulin resistance and sensitivity.
In the group of healthy participants, the intake of this type of oil influenced the oxidative stress marker, which is considered a pathophysiological condition associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The results of the study have shown a decrease in insulin levels and in the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and an improvement in tissue sensitivity to insulin, which That could mean a lower risk of suffering from this disease.
The study is part of the research work promoted by Oriva, the Olive Pomace Oil Interprofessional, which has already promoted eight investigations in collaboration with the CSIC to banish the false myths surrounding this product.
Source: Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC)
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