14 DAY TRIAL // Extra-virgin olive oil protects the liver from oxidative stress, found a team of researchers, writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism.
Olive oil is becoming more and more popular, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, that can strengthen the human body and prevent some diseases.
Mohamed Hammami from the University of Monastir, Tunisia and King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, worked with a team of researchers to test the positive effects of olive oil in a group of 80 rats.
The rats were exposed to a moderate toxic herbicide that was known to reduce antioxidants and cause oxidative stress, and those who had been on an olive oil diet were partially protected from liver damage.
The rats were divided into an olive oil group, a control group and 6 groups that were exposed to the herbicide '2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid' with or without either whole olive oil, or one of two oil extracts – the hydrophilic fraction or the lipophilic fraction.
After the experiment, all the rats had liver damage, but for those who were on an olive oil diet and on the hydrophilic fraction intake, the damage was less severe.
“The hydrophilic fraction of olive oil seems to be the effective one in reducing toxin-induced oxidative stress, indicating that hydrophilic extract may exert a direct antioxidant effect on hepatic cells,” said Hammami.
“However, more detailed studies about the effect of antioxidant compounds separately and/or their interactions are necessary to substantiate these observations".
Olive oil is an important ingredient of the Mediterranean diet, and “there is growing evidence that it may have great health benefits including the reduction in coronary heart disease risk, the prevention of some cancers and the modification of immune and inflammatory responses,” he added.
“Here, we've shown that extra virgin olive oil and its extracts protect against oxidative damage of hepatic tissue.”