OLIVE OILS AND HEALTH 144 11.6. Virgin olive oil and blood pressure modulation As previously mentioned, olive oil consumption, as opposed to other vegetable oils, lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure, thus reducing the need for antihypertensive medication. In OLIVAUS, a randomised Australian study examining the effect of high polyphenol-content olive oil on cardiovascular risk markers in healthy individuals, participants reduced their systolic blood pressure after 3 weeks of the oil consumption. In NUTRAOLEUM, a randomised Spanish study about the effect of high polyphenol content-olive oil enriched with other olive components on metabolic syndrome and endothelial function biomarkers, levels of endothelin -1, a powerful vasoconstrictor, were reduced after 3 weeks of oil consumption. This vasodilator effect was attributed to the polyphenols, via nitric oxide stimulation, increasing arterial vasodilation and thus improving endothelial function. 11.7. Virgin olive oil and type 2 diabetes Virgin olive oil consumption is associated with beneficial effects on type 2 diabetes prevention, onset, and progression. In physiological conditions, insulin is secreted by pancreatic beta cells to counteract the postprandial glucose increase. In type 2 diabetes patients, however, beta cells are unable to secrete the required amount of insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. In contrast to saturated fatty acid consumption, olive oil monounsaturated fatty acid has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and beta cell functionality achieving a better regulation of blood glucose levels. Moreover, individuals with insulin resistance who consumed olive oil-rich diets did not experience the transfer of body fat from peripheral tissues to abdominal depots, unlike those who consumed a carbohydrate-rich low-fat diet. Data from the PREDIMED study have demonstrated that participants following a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil had a 28% reduction in type 2 diabetes incidence versus those in control group (with a lowfat diet). In a study from the United States, women consuming a large quantity of olive oil (>8g/day) had less type 2 diabetes risk compared to those who did not consume any olive oil at all. In patients with pre-diabetes (fasting blood sugar level ranging from 100 to 125 mg/dL), consumption of 10g/day of virgin olive oil improved postprandial glucose levels. This could be attributed to a stimulation of incretin production, a group of hormones that, in addition to other functions, stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin. Moreover, virgin olive oil intake has been associated with a significant reduction in the need to start treatment with
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