Molecular mechanisms involved in the protective effect of Mediterranean diet and olive oil consumption in humans

Konstantinidou, Valentini

Molecular mechanisms involved in the protective effect of Mediterranean diet and olive oil consumption in humans

Document Type

Doctoral thesis
Published Version

Author

Konstantinidou, Valentini

Director

Covas Planells, Maria Isabel

Publication Date

2010-03-22

Citation

Konstantinidou, V. Molecular mechanisms involved in the protective effect of Mediterranean diet and olive oil consumption in humans. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; 2010. handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/7208

This citation was generated automatically.

Doctoral program

Programa de doctorat en Biomedicina

Abstract

The scope of the present work was to investigate whether the protective role of the traditional Mediterranean diet (TMD), and virgin olive oil (VOO) rich in phenolic compounds (PC), towards cardiovascular disease can be mediated through gene expression changes. Two trials were performed to assess the in vivo nutrigenomic effects of TMD and VOO in healthy volunteers. The results point out: a) significant gene expression changes of those genes related with cardiovascular-risk processes after VOO ingestion; b) a down-regulation in the expression of atherosclerosis-related genes after a 3-month intervention with a TMD; and c) an olive oil PC health-protective nutrigenomic effect within the frame of the TMD. Changes in gene expression were concomitant with decreases in oxidative damage and systemic inflammation markers. Data from our studies provide further evidence to recommend both the TMD and the VOO as a useful tool for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
El objetivo de este estudio es investigar si el papel protector de la dieta Mediterránea tradicional (TMD) y del aceite de oliva virgen (VOO), rico en compuestos fenólicos (PC), puede ser mediado a través de cambios en la expresión génica. Se realizaron dos ensayos clínicos para evaluar los efectos nutrigenómicos de la TMD y del VOO, in vivo, en voluntarios sanos. Los resultados mostraron a) cambios en la expresión génica de genes relacionados con el riesgo cardiovascular tras la ingestión del aceite virgen de oliva, b) una infra-expresión en la expresión de genes relacionados con el proceso aterosclerótico tras una intervención con TMD de 3 meses y c) que los compuestos fenólicos del aceite de oliva ejercen un efecto nutrigenómico protector en el marco de la TMD. Los cambios en la expresión génica fueron coherentes.

Keywords

Tyrosol, TLDA TagMan® low density arrays, PREDIMED the Effect of the Mediterranean Diet in t, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Phenolic compounds, Oxidative stress, Olive oil, Nutrition, Nutrigenomics, MUFA monounsaturated fatty acids, Microarray, Mediterranean diet, intervention study, inflammation, Hydroxytyrosol, gene expression, EUROLIVE the effect of olive oil consumption on ox, cardiovascular health, Atherosclerosis