EVOO may increase the ability of HDL to take cholesterol out of the artery wall

[WOOO]

Study was only completed with 26 volunteers but may suggest that extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) may increase the ability of HDL to take cholesterol out of the artery wall...


http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8703292


"Extra-virgin olive oil consumption improves the capacity of HDL to mediate cholesterol efflux and increases ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression in human macrophages

Abstract

The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) consumption on the capacity of HDL to promote cholesterol efflux (CE) and to determine which CE pathways are modulated by EVOO consumption. Whole HDL and HDL2/HDL3 subclasses were isolated from the plasma of twenty-six healthy volunteers before and after 12 weeks of EVOO consumption (25 ml/d). EVOO consumption increased the capacity of serum and HDL to mediate CE from THP-1, J774 macrophages and Fu5AH cells by 9·8–24·57 %, depending on the cell type. The increase in CE was independent of both HDL concentration and subclass distribution. The three HDL-mediated CE pathways (ATP-binding cassette (ABC) A1, ABCG1 and scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI)) were modulated by EVOO consumption. The fluidity of the phospholipidic layer of HDL increased by 13 % (P < 0·001) following EVOO consumption compared with baseline. EVOO consumption also increased the release of excess cholesterol from human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDM) by 44 % (P < 0·001), and ABCA1 and ABCG1 mRNA transcription by 16·08 % (P < 0·001) and 35·79 % (P < 0·01), respectively. The protein expression of these two cholesterol transporters also increased after EVOO consumption. In contrast, SR-BI mRNA and protein expression in HMDM were significantly lower after 12 weeks of EVOO consumption. Incubating J774 macrophages with EVOO polyphenol extracts induced a concentration-dependent up-regulation of ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression in macrophages. After 12 weeks of EVOO consumption, the capacity of HDL to mediate CE was improved and the ability of HMDM to release excess cholesterol was enhanced by increasing the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 transporters.

[JAM]

I knew there was a reason I like to dunk bread in Olive Oil.    

[Princess L]

I knew there was a reason I like to dunk bread in Olive Oil.    

Do you season it?  Have you also tried adding balsamic to the mix?

[WOOO]

Do you season it?  Have you also tried adding balsamic to the mix?

i used to go that before i gave up bread...

now i put oil and vinegar where they belong... on salads

[JAM]

Sometimes seasoning is just salt and pepper, but more often than not it is a blend of Turkish spices and dried tomatoes.   

[Rudee]

More olive oil is being consumed in North American than ever before, yet people are still dropping dead from heart attacks at an alarming rate.   I wouldn't get too excited over this study.

[Montague]

More olive oil is being consumed in North American than ever before, yet people are still dropping dead from heart attacks at an alarming rate.   I wouldn't get too excited over this study.

That's probably because their other total living habits suck. You can't eat shit, smoke, not exercise, and then drizzle some olive oil on your salad at dinner and expect a clean bill of health.

[Rudee]

That's probably because their other total living habits suck. You can't eat shit, smoke, not exercise, and then drizzle some olive oil on your salad at dinner and expect a clean bill of health.

I agree with you, and that was kind of the point I was making.  There is no single pill, drink, or food item that is going to give you peace of mind regarding living a long life without disease.  And even if you do live a healthy lifestyle, there are genetic anomalies within people that ultimately determine if you're going to have a healthy life or drop dead from a heart attack while running a marathon.

[Montague]

I agree with you, and that was kind of the point I was making.  There is no single pill, drink, or food item that is going to give you peace of mind regarding living a long life without disease.  And even if you do live a healthy lifestyle, there are genetic anomalies within people that ultimately determine if you're going to have a healthy life or drop dead from a heart attack while running a marathon.

That's a very astute observation. Genetic predisposition certainly can, and often does, play a possible adversary.

Several months ago, we had a 30-something patient in our lab who lived a (comparatively/reasonable) healthy lifestyle, but suffered from PAD. The patient presented for bypass #2 after the original graft failed.
Arterial disease just ran in the patient's family.

I seldom get emotional at work, but this was truly sad.

[a_ahmed]

Back in Tunisia when I lived there, people used to drink it.

It's quite common in Palestine and Jordan also people drink it straight up.

http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/food_03.html