Researchers working with the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple (ACT) recently investigated the effect of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on brain health and memory to determine whether, in fact, consumption of extra virgin olive oil, the main component of the Mediterranean diet, can delay cognitive decline in people with Down syndrome (DS).
Down syndrome is the most common form of genetically induced physical and intellectual disability.
Furthermore, while modern medical advances have helped extend life expectancy from about 40 years to an average of 60 years, the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in DS patients has become more common than ever.
People with age-related Down syndrome and synaptic dysfunction.
Extra virgin olive oil, the main component of the Mediterranean diet
Studies have shown that by the age of 40, about 50% of people with Down syndrome have significant learning and memory problems.
Worse, they are associated with the presence of a condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease.
Using a mouse model with Down syndrome, the researchers starved their diet for five months, after which they were tested for learning and memory impairments.
The most common form of genetically induced physical and intellectual disability
Synaptic function was then measured, and brain tissues were assessed for inflammatory biomarkers, they write.
The researchers found that the mice that received the extra virgin olive oil had a significant improvement in learning and spatial memory.
In addition, the treated mice had an improvement in synaptic function, and olive oil decreased the levels of several inflammatory biomarkers.
The work is published in
A natural compound in olives could treat diabetes and obesity
At the same time, the results of another study on mice suggested that elenolic acid can also reduce blood sugar levels and promote weight loss. The research could pave the way for the development of safe and inexpensive natural products for the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans.
The researchers found that after only one week, obese diabetic mice given oral elenolic acid weighed significantly less and had better blood sugar (glucose) regulation than before treatment and compared to obese control mice that they did not receive the treatment.
The blood sugar-lowering effect was comparable to that of the injectable diabetes drug liraglutide and better than metformin, one of the most common oral drugs for type 2 diabetes.
“Lifestyle changes and public health measures have had limited impact on the increasing prevalence of obesity, one of the main types of obesity,” said research team leader Dongmin Liu, professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Exercises at Virginia Tech.
A natural compound can lower blood sugar
are ineffective in maintaining weight loss, expensive, or have potential long-term safety risks. Our goal was to develop safer, cheaper and more convenient multi-target agents that can prevent the onset of metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes.”
Liu’s research team focuses on discovering bioactive compounds from natural products for diabetes management. Previously, they looked for specific molecular targets for natural compounds in parts of the body that actively help regulate metabolism, such as the pancreas, muscle, fat tissue and liver. However, since natural products typically have low bioavailability, the researchers decided to see if they could instead target metabolic hormone secretion in the gut to indirectly regulate metabolic function.
For the new work, the researchers began by identifying natural compounds that act on L cells, which contain two metabolic hormones secreted during a meal. These hormones, called GLP-1 and PYY, work together to promote satiety and prevent overeating while controlling blood sugar levels and metabolism.
The screening process showed that elenolic acid, which is found in ripe olives and extra virgin olive oil, can induce the release of these hormones in the gut, he writes.
