Polyphenols In Olive Oil Could Decrease Body Weight And Bmi
Updated January 24th 2024
Summary:
- New report links polyphenols with reduction in three obesity related measures
- Researchers link appetite suppressing hormones in polyphenols as key factor
- Polyphenols In Mediterranean Diet recently reported to help reduce obesity
- The World Health Organization states obesity has tripled globally since 1975
Contents:
- New Study Links Extra Virgin Olive Oil Infused Mediterranean Diet To Reduced Obesity Measures.
- Health Benefits Of The Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lifestyle And Foods Like Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Healthy Fats Like Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crucial Factor In Reducing Obesity.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Obesity.
New Study Links Extra Virgin Olive Oil Infused Mediterranean Diet To Reduced Obesity Measures.
The polyphenol-rich Mediterranean diet – focussed on consuming healthy fats – is more effective in obesity prevention than low-fat diets, according to a new study.
An extensive review of academic research has strengthened the link between the Mediterranean Diet and obesity prevention.
According to a study published in Experimental Gerontology, a significant body of trials, observational studies and meta-analyses showed a greater reduction of body weight and body mass index (BMI) linked to The Mediterranean Diet compared to the results obtained through the adoption of other diets.
Ligia J. Dominguez, professor, University of Enna faculty of medicine and surgery was reported in The Olive Oil Times as saying;
People adhering to the Mediterranean diet tend to lose weight over a long period of time. Furthermore, they show that adhering to the Mediterranean diet usually prevents someone from becoming overweight or obese.
Most of the time, when we talk about nutrition and dietary habits, we tend to focus on very specific aspects, such as the calories found in a specific food.
Ligia J. Dominguez, professor, University of Enna faculty of medicine and surgery
Health Benefits Of The Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lifestyle And Foods Like Extra Virgin Olive Oil
“The Mediterranean diet teaches us that there is so much more to a healthy diet than the contents of food,” she added. “The Mediterranean diet entails not only food but also a Mediterranean lifestyle.”
“One of its main aspects is sociality, which is a crucial part of the Mediterranean diet,” Dominguez continued. “It means eating together, cooking together and adding a strong social context to the meal itself, which also might translate into eating less and choosing quality food.”
According to the researcher, studies show how physical activity associated with the Mediterranean diet and the social aspects of eating adds a layer of positivity that has a significant impact on patients.
Healthy Fats Like Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crucial Factor In Reducing Obesity
The recent study also links the inclusion of healthy fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, in the Mediterranean Diet as a contributing factor to its effectiveness in reducing obesity.
Dominguez believes it is more important to focus on what types of fat are consumed in a diet rather than how much fat is consumed.
“Not all fats are equal,” Dominguez said. “Extra virgin olive oil and its unique properties play a key role, as it has a highly beneficial impact thanks to the monounsaturated oleic acid and other key contents such as polyphenols.”
Consumption of the polyphenols present in The Mediterranean Diet can decrease body weight, body mass index and waist circumference in adults, according to a new report in Olive Oil Times.
The new research, published in Food Chemistry indicates that consuming polyphenols has been linked with a statistically, but not clinically, significant reduction in three key obesity-related measures in adults.
The meta-analysis combines 44 studies and 40 academic articles from Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia.
“The main results of this meta-analysis demonstrated that intake of polyphenols significantly reduced body weight by 0.36 kilograms, body mass index by 0.13 kilogram-meters-squared and waist circumference by 0.6 centimeters compared to placebo treatments,” the researchers wrote.
Researchers said that the appetite-suppressing hormones in some polyphenols may contribute to these results, as well as improved lipid and carbohydrate digestion, stimulation of energy expenditure, reduced oxidative stress and improved gut microbiota.
Polyphenols And The Mediterranean Diet For Reduced Obesity
Extra Virgin Olive And Obesity
The research comes shortly Morocco Gold reported on a New study showing polyphenols in a polyphenol-rich Mediterranean diet could reduce obesity related disease.
The study, published in BMC Medicine, explored the impacts of what they defined as a “green-Med diet, twice fortified in dietary polyphenols and lower in red and processed meat.” The diet “may be a potent intervention to promote visceral adiposity regression,”
Researchers explained that the Mediterranean diet is a reference point for the study as it includes plenty of foods rich in polyphenols. The eating pattern has been shown to reduce visceral adiposity regardless of weight loss when associated with physical activity.
Can Olive Oil Help Obesity Problem?
According to the World Health Organization, obesity has tripled globally since 1975. As of 2016, the last year the WHO has available data, more than 650 million adults were obese.
Being overweight and obese have overwhelmingly been linked with many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.
Obesity is a threat to wellness because it increases the risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Although obesity can be caused by factors such as genes and hormonal imbalances, in most cases it is the result of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. The good news is that obesity is preventable and treatable with lifestyle changes such as eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.
Obesity is associated with number of co-morbid diseases and conditions that require treatment. Obesity can harm people’s prospects in life, their self-esteem and their underlying mental health. Research published in the BMJ found that people who are obese or overweight are less likely to exercise in public as they feel discriminated against because of their weight.
The rising rates of obesity have resulted in significant increases in direct medical spending for obese and overweight individuals.
Contributors to the Food Chemistry report concluded that consuming polyphenols should be considered as part of a dietary and lifestyle intervention to prevent and treat obesity.
Yi Zhang, the lead author of the analysis and a dietician, told Olive Oil Times that she did not investigate any phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil, the most prominent of which are tyrosols, simple phenols.
“My meta-analysis is about the pure polyphenols or pure extracts of single polyphenols, not the inclusion of the whole food,” Zhang said. “Most olive oil studies include all its polyphenols.”
However, she added, more research on the impacts of polyphenols on obesity should be done, specifically focussing on their role in obesity prevention in non-obese men and women and weight loss in obese men and women.
Zhang added that the impact of the individual polyphenols in olive oil should be further investigated, especially because of the known links between olive oil consumption and improved gut microbial profiles.
“There are many ways to decrease weight, especially through stimulating energy expenditure in the form of the gut microbiota… and reducing inflammation. This is the most interesting way olive oil polyphenols could impact obesity research.”
Yi Zhang, the lead author of the analysis and a dietician
