Healthy Mediterranean diet linked to olive oil, new study finds

Apr 28, 2010 • Filed under Bites • Tagged :, , , , , ,

by Katherine Sacks/MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

The benefits of the heart-healthy Mediterranean lifestyle may be due, in part, to phenol-rich olive oil, a new study reports. The phenols-or micronutrients found in olive oils-repress gene expression linked to inflammation promotion, which in turn could boost the immune system.

“These findings strengthen the relationship between inflammation, obesity and diet and provide evidence at the most basic level of healthy effects derived from virgin olive oil consumption in humans,” said Fransisco Perez-Jimenez, of the University of Cordoba, Spain in the journal BMC Genomics.

The study, published on April 19, focused on 20 patients who presented pro-inflammatory, or inflammation-promoting, symptoms, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Study participants avoided all drugs, vitamins and supplements before the study. During the study, the subjects ate a controlled breakfast that included phenol-rich olive oils.Through analysis, the researchers identified 98 different genes when comparing in the intake of phenol-rich olive oil with low-phenol olive oil.

“Our study showed 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,” stated researcher Antonio Camargo Garcia, in e-mail.

This may explain the link between those who eat a “Mediterranean diet” and the reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the researchers. The research suggests that diet can, in essence, inhibit genes which are normally pro-inflammatory. Many of these gene are also linked to obesity, type-2 diabetes, and high cholesterol.

These findings aren’t surprising, said Dr. Karen Moncher, a physician in the preventive cardiology program at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. She said the best way to get heart-healthy benefits is by following eating habits similar to the Mediterranean diet, which previous studies have shown to reduce risks associated with cardiovascular disease and stroke.

“This study shows that it appears that the olive oil and the monounsaturated fats in olive oil are the things that really make a difference,” said Moncher, “but we just don’t know that for sure.”

Although the study finds preliminary ties between olive oil and reduced cardiovascular disease risks, Toby Smithson, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, points out the small number of participants in the study.

“There were only 20 people. It was a small study,” Smithson said. “I heed caution when the numbers in a study are so small. On the other hand, olive oil doesn’t raise cholesterol, so that’s a good thing.”

Olive oil and other monounsaturated fats tend to be seen as healthy fats and are linked to reducing risks of heart disease across the board. They can be thought of as simple fats- monosaturated fats are made of a chain of fatty acids and carbon acids that have a single bond.

The results of this study may show that olive oil is a key component of the Mediterranean diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and fish, all heart healthy choices, according to Smithson.

“Teaspoon for teaspoon it’s the same amount of fat and calories,” said Smithson. “But the type of fat is what’s beneficial about olive oil because it’s a monounsaturated fat.”

But both Smithson and Moncher said to keep moderation in mind in the case of olive oil, and when eating in general.

“The concern is the amount, to make sure it fits into your calorie intake,” said Smithson. “You don’t want obesity to result because of the higher fat content in the diet. It’s the right kind of fat, but again I heed caution with the amount.”

Although the study shows a health link to olive oil, Moncher stressed the importance of adapting an inclusive healthy lifestyle.

“In the Mediterranean diet in general, across the board everybody emphasizes the combination of things seems to make the difference,” said Moncher. “So this may be more grains, more vegetables, more fruits, and it juts goes back to the whole there’s no one miracle food. It’s always a lifestyle change. There’s no miracle food, it’s just a matter of eating well on a daily basis.”

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When food can heal

Apr 21, 2010 • Filed under Food health • Tagged :, ,

by Katherine Sacks/MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Many people add fresh vegetables to their diets to improve health.

“Higher vitamin K intake linked to lower cancer risks.” “Cloves are best natural antioxidant.” “B vitamins help protect against stroke, heart disease.”

Hundreds of stories such as these hit the headlines each year. Studies across the globe focus on the healing qualities of everything from fruit enzymes to specific vitamins, all in attempt to find new and better cure-alls and remedies.

But when the human body goes on the defensive, whether it’s fighting the common cold or something much more serious, some foods can provide healing. Many people, including doctors and dietitians, said they believe that changing the diet can have significant impact on overall body health, and can, in some cases, relieve or even cure some illnesses.

There’s science behind the chicken soup, for instance. Eating chicken soup when you are sick may provide more than comfort food. Homemade soup includes simmering the broth with chicken bones, which brings the marrow in the bone into the soup. This helps the white blood cells and chemical messengers that help stimulate white blood cells function, according to Dr. Andrew Peters, a naturopath who practices at Danville’s Central Illinois Natural Health Clinic. That, in turn, can pump up the immune system.

Peters also said that cutting out dairy during acute illness can be helpful. “One good guideline is to avoid milk and dairy products because those products tend to increase mucous production,” which already is increased with sinus infections and congestion. Listening to the body is key, he said.

“It’s been found that actually abstaining from food during illness can actually help boost the immune system during acute illness,” Peters said.

Dr. John Stracks, a physician at Chicago’s Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, relates change in diet and nutrition not so much to acute health problems, but to chronic disorders.

“I think a fair amount of the chronic disease we have in this country is related to how people eat,” he said. “There is a lot of diabetes in this country which can be related to the high fructose sugar and fatty foods.”

Stracks has seen patients resolve health challenges from struggles with body weight to high blood sugar to allergies through a change in diet. “The big changes are to get away from processed foods,” he said.

Susan Rushford, 44, an administrative assistant at a Gold Coast real estate investment firm, has seen a number of health effects from changes in her diet. A long time vegetarian, Rushford said she became a vegan eight years ago when she discovered that cutting out dairy could help with her sinusitis – an inflammation of the sinuses that can result from infection and other causes.

But even as a vegan, Rushford still ate a lot of processed foods, and gained weight – about five pounds a year until she hit 185 pounds. She worked out constantly but could not seem to lose the weight until she attended a lecture on eating raw.

“So overnight, I became 75 percent raw, 100 percent vegan, and for the past three years” my diet stayed exactly like that, Rushford said. “Within three months, 40 pounds just melted off,” and she has more energy, and cleared up her skin disorders.

Many medical professionals point out dietary changes aren’t a substitute for needed medications. Melissa Dobbins, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Dietetic Association, said she looks at food and nutrition more as as a preventative measure.

“I think you’re going to be seeing more about prevention,” she said. “We want to look at how people get diabetes, how to prevent them from getting cancer.” And according to Dobbins, a large part of this prevention involves diet and nutrition.

Dobbins pointed to vitamin D in particular, a vitamin in which she said most people are deficient. “If we are deficient in vitamin D, it can increase our risk of cancers, poor bone health and diabetes,” she said. Vitamin D is found in fatty fishes like tuna and salmon, and milk and some cereals have been fortified as well, according to Dobbins.

But Dobbins also recognized that many people are unable to completely change their diet and that many people need more than just a change in diet.

“Some people can, and if they can, and they do it, great. But some people need medicine,” Dobbins said.

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