Once again, diet represents the key to treating certain diseases. According to the findings of a recent study carried out on mice, a compound derived from olives, elenolic acid, shows promise in the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
A hypoglycemic effect comparable to that of a drug
Specifically, this compound would be capable of reduce blood sugar levels and promote weight loss. Thanks to this, the mice improved their blood sugar control. The results were presented at Nutrition 2024, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition taking place in Chicago (USA).
“Researchers found that after just one week, obese diabetic mice that had received elenolic acid orally weighed significantly less and presented better regulation of blood sugar (glucose) than before treatment and compared to obese control mice not receiving elenolic acid,” the authors of the study say. In the trial, the scientists found that the hypoglycemic effect induced by the olive compound was comparable to that of an injectable diabetes drug.
Less expensive treatments
“Lifestyle changes and public health measures have had only a limited impact on the growing prevalence of obesity, one of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes,” said the leader of the research team Dongmin Liu, professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise at Virginia Tech. And to complete: “The obesity drugs available are ineffective in maintaining weight loss, expensive, and/or carry potential long-term safety risks. Our goal was to develop safer, less expensive, and more convenient multi-targeted agents that can prevent the onset of metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes. »
Researchers have identified natural compounds which act on L cells, those which contain two metabolic hormones released during a meal – the hormones GLP-1 and PYY. Their mission is to promote satiety and prevent overeating while controlling blood sugar and metabolism. “The screening process revealed that elenolic acid, found in ripe olives and extra-virgin olive oilcan induce the release of these hormones in the intestine. They were able to make elenolic acid by breaking down its precursor, oleuropein, which is less expensive than extracting it directly from olives,” the study’s press release adds.
Reduce food intake
According to the results, mice given oral elenolic acid experienced significant improvements in their metabolic health. Indeed, after four to five weeks of treatment, the mice showed a 10.7% reduction in obesity as well as blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity comparable to those of other mice.
Another discovery, Elenolic acid helped reduce food intake and promoted weight loss. “Overall, the study showed that elenolic acid from olives has promising effects on hormone release and metabolic health, especially in obesity and diabetes,” Liu said. “The compound appears to mimic the physiological conditions of diet to directly promote the secretion of intestinal metabolic hormones, which helps regulate energy balance and metabolic health.”
