New Study Claims Mediterranean Diet Can Benefit Lupus Sufferers.
Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Key Contributor To Helping Sufferers
Updated October 27th 2021
Contents :
- What Is Lupus?
- How Can A Healthy Diet Help?
- The Mediterranean Diet, Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Cardiovascular Disease
- Polyphenols: The Magic Ingredient Of The Best Olive Oil
- The Polyphenols In Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- What Is Polyphenol Oleuropein Aglycone (OA)?
- Anti-inflammatory Effect Of Polyphenols
- Oleocanthal In Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- How To Build Extra Virgin Olive Oil Into Your Healthy Lifestyle Choice
- What Is The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil To Fight CVD?
- In Summary
What Is Lupus?
Lupus,also called systemic lupus erythematosus,is a long-term condition that causes joint pain, skin rashes and tiredness. There’s no cure, but symptoms can improve if treatment starts early.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means the body’s natural defence system (immune system) attacks healthy parts of your body. It’s not contagious. The causes of lupus are not fully understood. Symptoms include: inflammation of different parts of the body including the lungs, heart, liver, joints and kidneys; joint and muscle pain; extreme tiredness that will not go away no matter how much you rest; rashes – often over the nose and cheeks.
Lupus is not always easy to diagnose because it can be similar to other conditions. Lupus often flares up (relapses) and symptoms become worse for a few weeks, sometimes longer.
Symptoms then settle down (remission). The reason why symptoms flare up or settle down is not known. Some people do not notice any difference and their symptoms are constant.
Lupus is generally treated using: anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen; hydroxychloroquine for fatigue and skin and joint problems; steroid tablets, injections and creams for kidney inflammation and rashes. Two medicines, rituximab and belimumab, are sometimes used to treat severe lupus. These work on the immune system to reduce the number of antibodies in the blood.
How Can A Healthy Diet Help?
New research, from The University of Granada, has shown that adherence to the nutritional principals of The Mediterranean Diet can experience improvements in the clinical course of Lupus disease.
As reported in the Olive Oil Times, Scientists at the university and the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada studied 280 patients with lupus, starting in 2017. They assessed participants’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and their general lifestyle.
The 2021 results of the study found that eating anti-inflammatory foods heavily associated with the Mediterranean diet, such as extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish, benefited lupus patients by reducing organ damage.
Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is high in phenols and polyphenols – a core ingredient which gives extra virgin olive oil its unique anti-inflammatory properties.
In turn, avoiding foods high in sugar and processed meat, which are not part of the Mediterranean diet, was also associated with health benefits.
“These results are of great relevance and impact, and lead us to advise that, together with medical treatment, nutritional counselling could be very useful to improve the course of lupus and its comorbidities,” said Norberto Ortego Centeno, a researcher who led the study at the University of Granada.
Lupus is a long-term condition that causes joint pain, skin rashes and tiredness. There’s no cure, but symptoms can improve if treatment starts early.
According to Gabriela Pocovi Gerardino, a nutritionist, dietitian and doctor at the University of Granada, “The exact cause of lupus is still unknown, but it is known that it results from the interaction between various factors such as a genetic predisposition; certain environmental factors (exposure to UV rays, toxins, lifestyle) or hormonal changes, among others,”
The Mediterranean Diet, Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Cardiovascular Disease
The study also found that patients who followed the Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish, had lower rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease, from which patients with lupus are at higher risk of suffering.
If you want to take some easily achievable steps towards improving your cardiovascular fitness, stock up on the best olive oil you can find.
Polyphenols: The Magic Ingredient Of The Best Olive Oil
Extensive research has been done on the phytonutrient composition of olive oil. What has been discovered is an extensive list of phytonutrients; one of the most praised is its polyphenols. The number of polyphenols found in Extra Virgin Olive Oil is truly amazing! We are delighted to say that this year’s harvest has produced a low acidity level of 0.2% together with the highest level of polyphenols yet seen in our extra virgin olive oil.
From a variety of different research perspectives, we know that daily intake of extra virgin olive oil in amounts as low as one tablespoon per day reduces inflammatory processes within our blood vessels. By reducing these processes, extra virgin olive oil also reduces our risk of inflammation-related cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis.
The Polyphenols In Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil
There are a range of health enhancing polyphenols found in Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil :
| 3,4 DHPEA-EDA | 85 mg/kg |
| Hydroxytyrosol | 5 mg/kg |
| Lignanes | 26 mg/kg |
| Ligstroside aglycone (p, HPEA-EA) | 20 mg/kg |
| Oleuropein aglycone (3,4 DHPEA-EA) | 71 mg/kg |
| Oleocanthal p, HPEA-EDA | 65 mg/kg |
| Tyrosol | 372 mg/kg |
| Polyphenols Total | 644 mg/kg |
Two in particular have ben identified as having anti-inflamatory properties, Oleuropein Aglycone and Oleocanthal.
What Is Polyphenol Oleuropein Aglycone (OA)?
Oleuropein aglycone is a glycosylated seco-iridoid, a type of bitter phenolic compound found in green olive skin, flesh, seeds, and leaves. The term oleuropein is derived from the botanical name of the olive tree, Olea Europaea. The chemical formula is :C25H32O13.
Oleuropein aglycone is one of the chief polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil. It is getting more and more global attention within the scientific and medical communities due to its biological properties including in anti-Alzheimer’s disease, anti-breast cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic effect, and anti-oxidative properties.
OA is derived from the de-glycosylation of oleuropein that exists in the leaves and stones of the olive fruit during the maturation period and is obtained during the pressing of the olives.
Anti-inflammatory Effect Of Polyphenols
Inflammation is a complex immune response to pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and enables during infection or injury. Pain from inflammation is something most people experience at some point in their lives and a common daily occurrence for many people with arthritis. OA plays an anti-inflammatory role during chronic inflammation and improves tissue damage associated with collagen-induced arthritis.
In addition, OA may be responsible for inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. COX is an enzyme that forms prostanoids, prostaglandins, prostacyclins, and thromboxanes, which are all contributors to the inflammatory response. Therefore, OA can play an effective role in anti-inflammatory activities.
Oleocanthal In Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The importance and uniqueness of Oleocanthal in extra virgin olive oil is that it has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Its anti-inflammatory action on the body is very similar to ibuprofen, one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs most widely consumed.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen, can be differentiated from steroids because they have far fewer secondary effects. NSAIDS have proven to have very beneficial effects in diseases that involve chronic inflammation processes, such as degenerative and neurodegenerative illnesses (Alzheimer).
How To Build Extra Virgin Olive Oil Into Your Healthy Lifestyle Choice
With the ever-increasing popularity of Plant-based, Mediterranean or Keto diets, choosing the best extra virgin olive oil is a versatile and vital component of many of these nutritional choices. There are many ways to incorporate it into your daily routine but here we shall focus on the simplest:
Take 2 Tablespoons Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Per Day: Improves Cardiovascular Health.
By incorporating two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into your daily eating habits – whether first thing in the morning or last thing at night – you can be sure of giving your heart an injection of disease fighting superpowers with minimal fuss.
Many people the world over include this in their daily routine just as they might brush their teeth or apply moisturiser. They enjoy the hit of flavour that comes from the best quality extra olive oil, like Morocco Gold – with its distinctive unfiltered, unblended taste like no other.
With the newest harvest from our source in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains available from March, Morocco Gold is packed with a higher concentration of Polyphenols than ever before.
Yet anti-inflammatory benefits are not the only cardiovascular benefits provided by extra virgin olive oil. Two other broad types of heart-related benefits are well documented for this oil. The first type is lessened risk of forming unwanted blood clots. While blood clotting is a natural and healthy process required for the healing of wounds and prevention of excessive bleeding, clotting in the arteries can ultimately result in a heart attack or stroke.
One risk factor for unwanted clotting in our arteries is excessive clumping together of our platelet blood cells. This clumping process is also called “aggregation.” Regular incorporation of extra virgin olive oil into a meal plan has been shown to lessen the risk of this excessive aggregation, and the reason that researchers refer to extra virgin olive oil as an “anti-aggregatory” oil.
The other broad area of cardiovascular benefits involves improved levels of circulating fats in our bloodstream, as well as protection of those fats from oxygen-related damage. Decreased levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol following consumption of extra virgin olive oil are findings are the vast majority of studies that have analysed this relationship.
Yet equally important, the cholesterol molecules that remain in our blood also appear to be better protected from oxygen-related damage (oxidation). Since fats and cholesterol belong to a broader technical category called “lipids,” damage to the fats and cholesterol in our blood stream is typically referred to as “lipid peroxidation.” And it is precisely this lipid peroxidation process that gets reduced through incorporation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a meal plan.
What Is The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil To Fight CVD?
With all this convincing science out there, it’s easy to see why more of us than ever are turning to extra virgin olive oil as a must have addition to our kitchen and medicine stores. But just be sure to purchase the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can source. That way, your chances of benefiting from these fabulous polyphenols is increased hugely.
Morocco Gold has no less than seven different types of Polyphenols, each of which has a unique role to play in keeping our hearts and bodies healthy.
The high polyphenol content of Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is dependent on three factors. First is the variety of the olive, secondly the climate and terroir of the growing region and thirdly the actual time in the growing season that the crop is harvested.
Morocco Gold is pressed from the Picholine Marocaine, the only type of olive to go into Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil. Oil from this variety is renowned for its high polyphenol count, oxidative stability and longevity. Thirdly, our olives are picked when the fruit is young and green.
In Summary
Beneficial roles of natural plant polyphenols in the human body have been well known for millenia. Their sources are fresh fruits, vegetables and certain processed plant foods.
Polyphenols have been reported to reduce morbidity and slow down the progression of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and cancer diseases.
Oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and their derivatives are polyphenolic compounds that are abundant in olive oil. They are powerful antioxidants displaying anticancer, anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties.
An increase in consumption of extra virgin olive oil and other plant products rich in polyphenolic compounds, specifically in populations with low olive oil intake, will undoubtedly provide much needed and diverse health benefits.
ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR GP IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE THIS CONDITION
