Olive oil supplements might protect people from the harmful effects of air pollution on the heart, a new study shows.
Researchers say olive oil and fish oil are beneficial for the heart. In order to understand whether these supplements could offset the adverse cardiovascular effects due to air pollution, researchers examined 42 healthy adults.
The participants were randomly divided into three groups. The groups either received olive oil, fish oil or no supplements for four weeks.
Four weeks later, the participants were exposed to filtered air for two hours. Next day, they were exposed to fine/ultrafine concentrated ambient particulate matter (CAP). The researchers examined the patients' endothelial function before, immediately after and then 20 hours after exposure.
The study findings show that the levels of a particular protein associated with breaking blood clots known as tissue plasminogen activator increased in olive oil supplement patients exposed to CAP. Moreover, no effects of fish oil supplements were seen on the overall cardiovascular health after the participants were exposed to CAP.
"Exposure to airborne particulate matter can lead to endothelial dysfunction, a condition in which the endothelium [inner lining] of blood vessels does not function normally, which is a risk factor for clinical cardiovascular events and progression of atherosclerosis," study lead author Dr Haiyan Tong, MD, PhD, a research biologist with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, explained in a news release.
"Our study suggests that use of olive oil supplements may protect against the adverse vascular effects of exposure to air pollution particles," said Dr Tong. "If these results are replicated in further studies, use of these supplements might offer a safe, low cost, and effective means of counteracting some of the health consequences of exposure to air pollution."
The study was presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.
