A regular consumption of virgin olive oil (VOO) is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to assess whether the raw intake of an optimized VOO (OVOO, 490 ppm of phenolic compounds and 86 ppm of triterpenes), and a functional olive oil (FOO, 487 ppm of phenolic compounds and enriched with 389 ppm of triterpenes) supplementation (30 mL per day) during three weeks would provide additional health benefits to those produced by a standard VOO (124 ppm of phenolic compounds and 86 ppm of triterpenes) on oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers. Fifty-one healthy adults participated in a randomized, crossover, and controlled study. Urinary 8-hidroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, plasma interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF- α) concentrations were lower after the intervention with the FOO than after the OVOO (p = 0.033, p = 0.011 and p = 0.020, respectively). In addition, IL-8 was lower after the intervention with FOO than after VOO intervention (p = 0.002). This study provides a first level of evidence on the in vivo health benefits of olive oil triterpenes (oleanolic and maslinic acids) in healthy humans, decreasing DNA oxidation and plasma inflammatory biomarkers. The trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02520739.
Keywords: 8-hidroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine; TNF-alpha; cardiovascular diseases; interleukin-8; maslinic acid; oleanolic acid; olive oil; oxidative stress; phenolic compounds; triterpenes; virgin olive oil.