Olive Compound Shows Promise in Treating Obesity and Diabetes

MADRID (EP) – There is a tendency to associate olives with a snack rich in fat and calories. However, although their caloric content is about 150 calories per 100 grams, overall they can be considered a product with interesting nutritional value. A new study suggests that it may be a key product in the treatment of obesity.

A new study in mice from the Virginia Tech Institute in the US suggests that elenolic acid, a natural compound found in olives, may lower blood sugar levels and promote weight loss. The research could pave the way for the development of safe and affordable natural products to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans.

“Lifestyle changes and public health interventions have had a limited impact on the rise in the prevalence of obesity, one of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes,” said study team leader Dongming Liu, professor in the Department of Nutrition, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences. at the Virginia Tech (USA).

“Available anti-obesity drugs are ineffective at maintaining weight loss, are expensive, and/or carry potential long-term safety risks. Our goal was to develop safer, cheaper, and more convenient multi-target agents that can prevent the onset of obesity. Metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes.

Hana Alkhalidi, a postdoctoral researcher in Liu’s lab at Virginia Tech, will present the findings at NUTRITION 2024, the American Society for Nutrition’s flagship annual meeting.

The researchers found that after just one week, obese diabetic mice that received elenolic acid orally weighed significantly less and showed better blood sugar (glucose) regulation than before treatment, compared to control obese mice that did not receive elenolic acid. acid. The glucose-lowering effect was comparable to that of the injectable diabetes drug liraglutide and better than that of metformin, one of the most common oral drugs for treating type 2 diabetes.

To reach this conclusion, the researchers began by identifying natural compounds that act on L cells, which contain two metabolic hormones released during meals. These hormones, called GLP-1 and PYY, work together to promote satiety and prevent overeating, as well as control blood sugar and metabolism.

The screening process showed that elenolic acid, found in ripe olives and extra virgin olive oil, can trigger the release of these hormones in the intestines. They were able to obtain elenolic acid by breaking down its precursor oleuropein, which is cheaper than extracting it directly from olives.

Testing of the compound in obese and diabetic mice showed that mice given oral elenolic acid experienced significant improvements in their metabolic health compared to obese control mice. After four to five weeks of treatment, the mice showed a 10.7% reduction in adiposity, as well as blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity, comparable to lean, healthy mice.

Elenolic acid also significantly reduced food intake and promoted weight loss, which was associated with improvements in circulating levels of PYY and GLP-1 and suppression of agouti-related peptide in the hypothalamus. Agouti-related peptide is known to increase food intake and weight gain when overexpressed.

“Overall, the study showed that elenolic acid from olives has promising effects on hormone release and metabolic health, especially in the context of obesity and diabetes,” Liu said. “This compound appears to mimic the physiological conditions of feeding by directly stimulating the secretion of intestinal metabolic hormones, which helps regulate energy balance and metabolic health.”

According to the researchers, the concentration of elenolic acid in olive oil or olives is very low, so the benefits observed in this study would likely not be obtained from olive products alone.

The research team is currently working to understand how this compound has metabolic effects by analyzing its journey through the body to find out how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized and eliminated from the body. This will also provide information on its safety for future clinical trials.