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Dear Colleagues and Friends,
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Cognitive and mental health
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Gastrointestinal disorders
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Mediterranean Diet and Dietary Patterns
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Olive oil, a characteristic component of the Mediterranean diet, has numerous positive effects on health, and convincing scientific literature indicates that it could play a key role in the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, especially in cardiovascular health. In the PREDIMED trial, subjects following a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil were found to have a lower risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
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Moreover, adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower long-term risk of total and cause-specific mortality. A prospective cohort study of 2 large prospective cohorts (women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1984-2020) and men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS; 1986-2020)) with up to 36 years of follow-up, provides additional information that supports this inverse relationship. In this study, the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED) score was calculated to account for adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In both women and men, an inverse association was found between the AMED score and mortality caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, respiratory disease and neurodegenerative disease in different racial and ethnic groups and other subgroups. A dose-dependent inverse association was observed between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and total mortality.
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The main component of olive oil is oleic acid (OA) (70-80%), whose health benefits are mediated by an anti-inflammatory effect. However, the full mechanism by which oleic acid has beneficial effects is not yet known. This review updates our knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of OA. OA seems to influence cell membrane fluidity, receptors, signalling pathways and gene expression. It also regulates the synthesis and activity of antioxidant enzymes and activates sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). Some of the benefits of olive oil may be related to Oleoylethanolamide (OEA), which is derived from OA. OEA has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and could be a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of obesity, by regulating fat intake and energy homeostasis. However, most of the studies have been conducted in animals, hence more studies are needed to examine the properties of OA and OEA in humans.
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