Hepatic steatosis: nutraceutical use of extra virgin olive oil study launched

Treating the liver with extra virgin olive oil is the aim of the EvoLiveR project, a case of collaboration between public medical-scientific research and the olive oil industry. Researchers from the 'Saverio De Bellis' of Castellana Grotte, in the province of Bari - one of the five Irccs in the region that last March celebrated 44 years of scientific recognition as a centre of excellence, in the national panorama, for research and treatment in the field of gastroenterology - and Olio Levante, an olive-oil group from Andria, in the province of Bat, are collaborating on the project. The latter will supply the Evo oil, with a high polyphenol content, that De Bellis researchers will administer to the 80 patients suffering from hepatic steatosis (Masld), involved in the project to assess the beneficial effect of Evo oil on their pathology.

The aim is therefore to use it as an nutraceutical food, exploiting its anti-inflammatory capabilities linked to the presence of polyphenols.

'The clinical study,' explains De Bellis' scientific director, Gianluigi Giannelli, 'will involve 80 patients with hepatic steatosis (Masld) divided into two groups that will receive the same diet. A first group, however, with minimal amounts of Evo oil, a second one to a greater extent. At the end of the 6-month trial, the parameters will be evaluated and if the results are positive, it will be the first scientific evidence of the nutraceutical use of Evo oil in the international literature'.

The diet will include Olio Levante's organic Evo oil from the Coratina 'Fenolio' cultivar, which has a high content of polyphenols - 690 mg/kg on the label - that protect cells from free radicals and Ldl from oxidation, and among which is oleocanthal, which acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, inhibiting the mediators of inflammation. By maintaining good glycaemic control, this oil protects against metabolic syndrome, which explains its use in the EvoLiveR study, as well as hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Participation in the two groups is restricted to people aged between 18 and 65 years, who are normal or overweight and diagnosed with hepatic steatosis.

This project is part of a broader collaboration agreement signed in recent weeks between the Irccs and the Levante Group to provide doctors and researchers with the resources and tools they need to carry out their scientific activities.