According to a new study, olives can fight obesity and protect us from diabetes thanks to the natural ingredients they contain.
This is an ingredient helenolic acidnaturally grown in ripe olives and extra virgin olive oil.
The new study was carried out in obese mice with diabetes, which the scientists gave a small amount of elenolic acid. Within a week, the rodents began to lose weight. They also showed better blood sugar regulation compared to other obese animals that did not receive acid.
The researchers say the reduction in blood sugar they observed in the animals was comparable to that of the injectable drug liraglutide. Liraglutide is used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Sugar reduction with elenolic acid was also greater than that achieved with metformin. Metformin is the oldest drug for type 2 diabetes. It is taken orally in the form of tablets.
11% weight loss
The study was conducted by scientists from the Virginia Tech University in the United States. His findings It was announced at the Nutrition 2024 conference – Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).
As the researchers said at the conference, they extracted elenolic acid from olives and gave it to mice. After 4-5 weeks of acid intake, obesity in mice decreased by 10.7%. And this is because they consume less food than usual.
Their blood sugar (or glucose) and insulin sensitivity also improved significantly.
These findings “pave the way for the development of safe and inexpensive products for the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes.” leading researcher Dr. Dongmin LiuUniversity Professor of Human Nutrition.
The new study also showed that elenolic acid works by stimulating the secretion of two hormones from the gut. The hormones are called GLP-1 and PYY. Together, they stimulate hunger and prevent overeating. They also regulate sugar levels and metabolism.
Scientists are continuing their research to determine what the most beneficial amount of acid is and how exactly it works in the body.