Olive Oil May Help Increase Fat-Burning in the Obese

by | Jan 19, 2016 | 2010, Antioxidants, Obesity

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Rats given olive oil had 58% higher rate of fat burning compared to rats without olive oil.

A cornerstone of olive oil’s health benefits lies in its high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols (1), which have been shown to help maintain cell health (2), digestive health (3) and elicit “a protective effect” against cardiovascular disease risk factors (4). Two such polyphenols are oleuropein and caffeic acid. These have been shown to help with blood sugar health anti-diabetic (5, 6), heart health (7), and help maintain healthy levels of inflammation (8).

Now a new study in rats (9) suggests that olive oil polyphenols may help maintain heart health in the presence of obesity. Research has shown that increased calorie intake seen in obese people causes cell damage (“oxidation”) (10) by decreasing ability of cells to make energy in structures called mitochondria (11), causing overall decrease oxygen intake in obese people (12). As a result, the researchers sought to study whether the antioxidants in olive oil can help with cell damage, thereby increasing oxygen intake and overall energy output.

In the study, 48 male wistar rats (24 in each group) were given either a standard diet (70 calories/day = 2.75 calories/gram of “metabolizable energy”) or higher-calorie diet (86 calories/day = 3.41 calories/gram “metabolizable energy”) for 3 weeks. Each group of 24 was then divided into 4 smaller groups of 6, with the standard diet group receiving:

– Standard diet and saline (control group)
– Standard diet plus olive oil (3 grams per kg of bodyweight per day)
– Standard diet plus a specific olive oil antioxidant (oleuropein – 0.023mg/kg/day),
– Standard-chow with caffeic-acid (2.66mg/kg/day)

And the high-calorie group receiving:

– High-calorie chow plus saline (control)
– High-calorie chow and olive-oil
– High-calorie chow and oleuropein
– High-calorie chow and caffeic-acid.

Treatments were given twice a week for another 3 weeks. Doses were administered in order to compare approximately similar amounts of oleuropein and caffeic acid in olive oil diet to the specific polyphenol diet protocols.

At the end of the 42-day study, control rats fed the higher-calorie diet weighed 16% more compared to the control standard diet (397 vs. 335 grams, p<0.05). As expected, the weight in the in the high-calorie control group produced a 9% lower rate of oxygen intake (3.46 vs. 3.8 milliliters/minute, p<0.05) and 62% lower fat-burning (1.38 vs. 3.5 mg/min, p<0.05).

In the standard diet group, rats taking olive oil and caffeic acid had 26% (4.77 vs. 3.8 ml/min, p<0.05) and 17% (4.45 vs. 3.8 ml/min, p<0.05) higher oxygen intake and 58% (5.55 vs. 3.50 mg/min, p<0.05) and 30% (4.55 vs. 3.5 mg/min, p<0.05) higher rates of fat-burning, respectively. Rats in the oleuropein group had lower rates of both oxygen intake (9% lower – 3.44 vs. 3.8 ml/min, p<0.05) compared to the standard control group fed olive oil and fat-burning (46% lower – 1.92 vs. 3.5 mg/min, p<0.05) compared to the standard control group. When trying to explain a possible mechanism, the researchers cited oleuropein’s ability to increase carbohydrate use, producing energy without fat-burning (13).

Table 1. Results for rats fed a standard diet plus experimental treatments

Groups of rats Oxygen Intake (ml/min) Fat Oxidation (mg/min)
Control 3.8 ±0.06 3.5 ±0.39
Olive oil 4.77±0.37* (p<0.05) 5.55±0.49* (p<0.05)
Oleuropein 3.44±0.09‡ (p<0.05) 1.92±0.35*‡ (p<0.05)
Caffeic acid 4.45±0.26*ª (p<0.05) 4.55±0.64*‡ ª(p<0.05)

(*) means significant compared to control group, (‡) means significant compared to Olive oil group, (ª) means significant compared to Oleuropein group.

In the obese group, oxygen intake was 4% higher (3.6 vs. 3.46 ml/min, p>0.05) for olive oil, 9% higher (3.78 vs. 3.46 ml/min, p>0.05) for oleuropein, and 16% higher (4.00 vs. 3.46 ml/min, p<0.05) for caffeic acid. Even better improvements were seen regarding fat-burning for olive oil (139% higher – 3.31 vs. 1.38 mg/min, p<0.05), oleuropein (106% higher – 2.85 vs. 1.38 mg/min, p<0.05) and caffeic acid (147% higher – 3.42 vs. 1.38 mg/min, p<0.05).

Table 2. Results for rats fed a hypercaloric diet plus experimental treatments

Groups of rats Oxygen Intake (ml/min) Fat Oxidation (mg/min)
Control 3.46±0.11 1.38±0.28
Olive oil 3.60±0.27 (ns) 3.31±0.57* (p<0.05)
Oleuropein 3.78±0.23 (ns) 2.85±1.26* (p<0.05)
Caffeic acid 4.00±0.14*‡ (p<0.05) 3.42±0.42* (p<0.05)

(ns) means non-significant, (*) means significant compared to control group, (‡) means significant compared to Olive oil group, (ª) means significant compared to Oleuropein group.

For the researchers, “The present study demonstrated for the first time that olive-oil, oleuropein and caffeic-acid enhanced fat-oxidation and optimized cardiac energy metabolism in obesity conditions.”

Source: Ebaid, Geovana MX, et al. “Effects of olive oil and its minor phenolic constituents on obesity-induced cardiac metabolic changes.” Nutrition journal 9.1 (2010): 46.

© 2010 Ebaid et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Posted March 13, 2014.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

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