Olive Oil Reduces Blood Pressure & Protects Blood Vessels

Am J Hypertens. 2012 Dec;25(12):1299-304. doi: 10.1038/ajh.2012.128. Epub 2012 Aug 23.

Olive oil polyphenols decrease blood pressure and improve endothelial function in young women with mild hypertension.

This study does not conclude how olive oil polyphenols decrease blood pressure and improves endothelial function in young women with mild hypertension.  Since olive oil polyphenols are powerful antioxidants or anti-acids we can suggest that the polyphenols in the olive oil are reducing dietary and metabolic acids thus reducing plaque build up reducing blood pressure and acidic damage to the endothelial cells or cover cells that protect the blood vessels.

Moreno-Luna R, Muñoz-Hernandez R, Miranda ML, Costa AF, Jimenez-Jimenez L, Vallejo-Vaz AJ, Muriana FJ, Villar J, Stiefel P.

Source

Unidad Clinico Experimental de Riesgo Vascular (UCAMI-UCERV), Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS) SAS, CEIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Hospital Virgen del Rocio, Seville, Spain.

Abstract

Background

Olive oil polyphenols have been associated with several cardiovascular health benefits. This study aims to examine the influence of a polyphenol-rich olive oil on blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function in 24 young women with high-normal BP or stage 1 essential hypertension.

Methods

We conducted a double-blind, randomized, crossover dietary-intervention study. After a run-in period of 4 months (baseline values), two diets were used, one with polyphenol-rich olive oil (∼30 mg/day), the other with polyphenol-free olive oil. Each dietary period lasted 2 months with a 4-week washout between diets. Systolic and diastolic BP, serum or plasma biomarkers of endothelial function, oxidative stress, and inflammation, and ischemia-induced hyperemia in the forearm were measured.

Results

When compared to baseline values, only the polyphenol-rich olive oil diet led to a significant (P < 0.01) decrease of 7.91 mm Hg in systolic and 6.65 mm Hg of diastolic BP. A similar finding was found for serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) (-0.09 ± 0.01 µmol/l, P < 0.01), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) (-28.2 ± 28.5 µg/l, P < 0.01), and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) (-1.9 ± 1.3 mg/l, P < 0.001). The polyphenol-rich olive oil diet also elicited an increase in plasma nitrites/nitrates (+4.7 ± 6.6 µmol/l, P < 0.001) and hyperemic area after ischemia (+345 ± 386 perfusion units (PU)/sec, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

We concluded that the consumption of a diet containing polyphenol-rich olive oil can decrease BP and improve endothelial function in young women with high-normal BP or stage 1 essential hypertension.

American Journal of Hypertension 2012; doi:10.1038/ajh.2012.128.

PMID:
22914255
[PubMed - in process]