- Obesity increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Virginia Tech researchers have discovered a natural compound in olives and olive oil that may help improve blood sugar control and promote weight loss.
- This could help researchers develop natural products to manage obesity and type 2 diabetes.
From 2022,
Previous research shows that obesity may increase a person’s risk
“Obesity has been clearly established as a major pathogenic factor in the development of type 2 diabetes, and it also constitutes a major obstacle to effective metabolic control in many patients with type 2 diabetes,” he explained to Today’s Medical News.
“However, lifestyle modifications and public health measures appear to have very limited impact on the increasing prevalence of obesity, and available drug therapies for obesity and diabetes may not be effective in the long term, difficult to maintain to maintain weight loss, expensive, or carry long-term safety risks.”
“In addition, existing treatments for obesity and diabetes may not work for everyone,” Liu continued. “Therefore, developing new, less expensive treatments, particularly using natural products as primary or secondary adjuvant therapy, may provide more options and improve outcomes for a broader range of patients.”
Liu is the lead author of a new mouse study recently presented at NUTRITION 2024, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, suggesting that a natural compound found in olives and olive oil may help improve blood sugar control and promote weight loss.
Liu and his team used a mouse model to conduct their study, which began by identifying natural compounds that affect
Researchers have identified elenolic acid, naturally present in olives, as a compound that can trigger the release of the hormones PYY and GLP-1 in the intestine.
“Elenolic acid is a natural compound found in olives and olive oil,” Liu explains. “It is part of a larger group of substances called polyphenols. Elenolic acid is produced naturally during the olive ripening process from the decomposition
“We are studying this compound because, to my knowledge, it has never been studied whether it has beneficial actions related to health or disease states such as diabetes,” he added.
When obese mice with diabetes were given an oral dose of elenolic acid, scientists reported significant improvements in their overall metabolic health compared to obese control mice.
After four to five weeks of taking elenolic acid, the researchers found that obese mice with diabetes had a 10.7 percent reduction in obesity.
“This is a beneficial effect of elenolic acid, as it also increased muscle weight, reversed diet-induced hepatic steatosis, and improved liver function,” Liu said. “Basically, taking elenolic acid orally once daily resulted in increased secretion of certain metabolic hormones in the gut, called GLP-1, PYY, and
Additionally, blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity of obese mice given elenolic acid were comparable to those of healthy-weight mice within four to five weeks of treatment.
Liu said the discovery is important for two main reasons.
“First, the finding that elenolic acid improves blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity to the point where they are similar to those of healthy lean mice indicates that it is an effective compound for correcting key defects that lead to full-blown diabetes,” he explained. “Second, the results suggest that elenolic acid could potentially be developed as a treatment for people with obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. If it works similarly in humans, it could offer a new, natural way to manage these diseases.”
“Our next steps for this research include, among other things, finding out how this compound is able to effectively manage blood sugar control as well as obesity,” Liu continued.
“The key to answering this question is understanding how this drug controls food intake. Second, we need to test combination therapy with metformin, a first-line diabetes drug, because our preliminary study shows that giving both agents works much better than either one alone. We have just received a four-year grant from the NIH to support these studies,” he said.
After reviewing the study, Dr. Mir Ali, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, said: MNT he found the results interesting.
“We know that there are compounds in food that are beneficial for many diseases like diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure,” Ali continues. “The idea is to try to identify those and apply them to humans. These studies were done in mice that were genetically selected to have diabetes or obesity, so obviously things will be different in humans. So the next step is to try to apply those findings to human studies.”
Ali said it’s important for researchers to continue finding new ways to treat obesity and diabetes because, at least right now, there’s no perfect way to treat every patient.
“Everyone responds differently to medications, everyone’s genetic makeup is different, so the more options we have to help people, the better,” he added. “And maybe one day they’ll find the solution that makes that solution applicable to more people.”
MNT also spoke with Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight about this study, who commented that given what we know about the Mediterranean lifestyle and the benefits of olives, this study was not surprising.
“The combination of different types of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in olives provides a unique nutritional profile,” Richard continued. “Due to their high fat content, mouthfeel and often savory palatability (e.g. salt, seasonings, oil, herbs), olives are satiating, meaning they can provide a feeling of satisfaction. The interaction of olive fatty acid components in cells, and thus the interaction with appetite and insulin receptors, has already been identified with the intake of olive leaf extract in humans, as well as due to the identified polyphenols, oleuropein and oleic acid.”
For those looking to add more olives to their diet, Richard suggested adding a serving of olives (3-8 depending on size/variety):
- used to make a tapenade with raw vegetables
- as a topping for pizza or homemade pasta
- in an omelette
- in bean, couscous or Mediterranean-style salads
- chopped and used as a condiment
- as a snack or appetizer stuffed with peppers, garlic, cheese or nuts
- like an appetizer, literally
As for olive oil, Richard said quality is important in which one you choose to use.
“Look for tinted glass bottles, with labels that say ‘extra virgin (EVOO)’, ‘cold pressed’, ‘organic’, ‘imported from Spain/Italy/Greece’,” she added.
Richard advised using quality extra virgin olive oil:
- used as a base for sautéing or roasting
- make vinaigrette
Other ways to use olive oil include adding it to homemade hummus or dips, drizzling it over steamed vegetables, or adding it to homemade vegetable or bean soups.
Although olives are full of beneficial nutrients, they are prepared and packaged in brine (salt water), which is absorbed by the olives.
“If you are following a low-sodium diet, you may need to limit the amount or frequency of your olive consumption, read the nutrition information label, and be sure to meet with your registered dietitian nutritionist for more personalized nutrition insights, advice, and information,” she added.
Although people can obtain small amounts of elenolic acid by consuming olives, the concentration from olive oil or olives alone will likely not match the amount of elenolic acid used in the study.
Researchers are now working to further explore the mechanisms to determine the safety of concentrated elenolic acid for future human clinical trials.