Ussia Sara, Ritorto Giovanna, Mollace Rocco, Serra Maria, Tavernese Annamaria, Altomare Carmen, Muscoli Carolina, Fini Massimo, Barillà Francesco, Indolfi Ciro, Perrone Filardi Pasquale, Mollace Vincenzo, Macrì Roberta
Pharmacology Laboratory, Institute of Research for Food Safety and Health IRC-FSH, Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
Department of Experimental Medicine, University "Tor Vergata" of Rome, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Nutrients. 2025 May 28;17(11):1843. doi: 10.3390/nu17111843.
Olive oil's health benefits are widely known and extensively documented; its advantages are widespread, covering numerous areas of human health. Clinical and experimental data indicate that a Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) lowers the risk of illnesses associated with oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and weakened immunity, including cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirms that olive oil's polyphenols help protect blood lipids against oxidative damage; thus, EVOO, crucial in the MedDiet, could be a functional food component. Olive oils must contain at least 5 mg of Hydroxytyrosol (HYTY) and its derivatives (oleuropein and Tyrosol (TY)) per 20 g to qualify for the EFSA-approved health claim. To provide a summary of clinical study results, this systematic review assessed the impact of Virgin olive oil (VOO) consumption on cardiovascular risk and disease prevention. The systematic review's studies were collected from PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and the Population Intervention Comparison Outcome Population (PICO) framework. Seventeen clinical studies were identified, which highlighted the association between VOO consumption (including EVOO) and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Particularly, improvements in biomarkers involved in cardiometabolic pathways and subsequent cardiovascular events were recorded. The beneficial effect was attributed to the polyphenols contained in EVOO. Indeed, EVOO supplementation as part of the Mediterranean diet could improve patients' quality of life in secondary prevention by demonstrating a positive correlation with the cardioprotective role of polyphenols. A balanced diet with VOO represents a simple yet potent method to counteract metabolic dysfunctions associated with CVD. Despite these results, further multicenter clinical studies with a wider range of patients are required to confirm and better understand EVOO's effects on the prevention of cardiovascular risk.
橄榄油对健康的益处广为人知且有大量文献记载；其优势广泛，涵盖人类健康的众多领域。临床和实验数据表明，富含特级初榨橄榄油（EVOO）的地中海饮食（MedDiet）可降低与氧化应激、慢性炎症和免疫力减弱相关疾病的风险，包括癌症和心血管疾病（CVD）。欧洲食品安全局（EFSA）证实，橄榄油中的多酚有助于保护血脂免受氧化损伤；因此，在MedDiet中至关重要的EVOO可能是一种功能性食品成分。橄榄油每20克必须至少含有5毫克羟基酪醇（HYTY）及其衍生物（橄榄苦苷和酪醇（TY）），才有资格获得EFSA批准的健康声明。为了总结临床研究结果，本系统评价评估了食用初榨橄榄油（VOO）对心血管风险和疾病预防的影响。该系统评价的研究是根据系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）声明以及人群干预比较结果人群（PICO）框架，从PubMed、Cochrane、科学网和Scopus中收集的。共确定了17项临床研究，这些研究突出了食用VOO（包括EVOO）与降低心血管疾病风险之间的关联。特别是，记录了参与心脏代谢途径的生物标志物的改善以及随后的心血管事件。有益效果归因于EVOO中所含的多酚。事实上，作为地中海饮食一部分的EVOO补充剂通过证明与多酚的心脏保护作用呈正相关，可以改善二级预防中患者的生活质量。食用VOO的均衡饮食是对抗与CVD相关的代谢功能障碍的一种简单而有效的方法。尽管有这些结果，但仍需要进一步开展涉及更广泛患者群体的多中心临床研究，以确认并更好地了解EVOO对预防心血管风险的影响。
