Olive oil antioxidants and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to affect 25% of adult people worldwide. Nowadays, there is no definite treatment for NAFLD. International guidelines define an approach based on lifestyle changes, included a health alimentary regimen. The Mediterranean diet (MD) represents the gold standard in preventive medicine, probably due to the harmonic combination of many elements with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Its prescription is also recommended in patients with NAFLD. Olive oil, as part of MD, is associated with benefits on human health especially regarding the cardiovascular system, obesity, diabetes and related metabolic disorders.

Areas covered: An overview of the beneficial effects of olive oil in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD is given.

Expert opinion: A large body of evidence emphasizes that olive oil, used as primary source of fat in MD, may play a crucial role in the health benefits of NAFLD patients. However, there are still scarce clinical data that evaluate the direct effect of olive oil in human with NAFLD.

KEYWORDS:

• Food
• Mediterranean diet
• metabolism
• inflammation
• treatment
• prevention

Article highlights

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide.

• Mediterranean diet (MD) represents the gold standard in preventive medicine.

• With its high intake of antioxidants, MD contributes to the reduction of the onset of many chronic diseases as a NAFLD.

• Considering the high presence of polyphenols, the olive oil a basic component of MD, may be helpful in reducing the progression of NAFLD.This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Distretto ad alta tecnologia agroindustriale della Calabria AGRIFOODTECH – PROGETTO PON03PE_00090_2, Sustainable models and new technologies for olives and olive oil.