Extra virgin Olive oil intake may improve cardiopulmonary fitness: Study

USA: Dietary supplementation of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) may be an effective option for secondary prevention of HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction), suggests a recent study in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

The prevalence of HFpEF is increasing worldwide but there is a lack of effective therapies to reduce morbidity and mortality. EVOO supplementation is known to be a powerful primary prevention strategy against CV events but there is no information on its role in the secondary prevention of HFpEF. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a strong prognostic marker in HFpEF. CRF is measured by peak oxygen consumption (VO 2) on cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and an increase in peak VO 2 is linked to reductions in mortality. 

Hayley Ellis Billingsley, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA, and colleagues assessed the effect of EVOO supplementation on CRF measures in HFpEF patients.

The UFA-Preserved trial enrolled nine consecutive patients (56% were females with a median age of 56 (50- 59) years). The trial is a dietitian-led 12-week pilot trial supplementing unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) rich foods, such as EVOO, in HFpEF patients. The researchers performed five-pass 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 week visits and analyzed with Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDSR) software. EVOO intake in grams (g) was averaged across the 4, 8 and 12 week visits and average change from baseline was calculated. Peak VO 2(mL.kg.min −1) and percent predicted value (% peak VO 2) were measured with maximal CPET at baseline and 12 weeks along with oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES).