Significant metabolic improvement by a water extract of olives: animal and human evidence

Dyslipidemia and impaired glucose metabolism, are main health issues of growing prevalence and significant high Health Care cost, requiring novel prevention and/or therapeutic approaches. Epidemiological and animal studies revealed olive oil as an important dietary constituent for normolipidemia. However, no studies have specifically investigated the polyphenol rich water extract of olives (OLWPE), generated during olive oil production. Here, we explore OLPWE in animals and human metabolic parameters. High fat-fed rats developed a metabolic dysfunction, which was significantly impaired when treated with OLWPE, with decreased LDL and insulin levels and increased HDL. Moreover, they increased total plasma antioxidant capacity, while several phenolic compounds were detected in their blood. These findings were also verified in humans that consumed OLWPE daily for four weeks in a food matrix. Our data clearly show that OLWPE can improve glucose and lipid profile, indicating its possible use in the design of functional food and/or therapeutic interventions.