Squalene in Olive Oil Combats the Negative Effects of Triglycerides

Squalene in Olive Oil

Research conducted by the University of Zaragoza in a pig model demonstrates the power of olive oil derivatives in controlling hepatic steatosis, an increasingly common condition in humans. The results of the work, in which the University of Zaragoza, the University of Cambridge, and the Lozano Blesa Clinical Hospital in Zaragoza participated, were published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.

Previous studies by the same group had shown that squalene improved hepatic metabolism in mice and rabbits (this component actually accumulates in large quantities in the livers of sharks, animals that live for over 200 years).

Administering a 0.5% squalene supplement for one month in a diet rich in saturated fat, cholesterol, and fructose, among other components, did not alter the cholesterol content or fiber content in the liver, but led to hepatic accumulation of squalene and a decrease in triglyceride content and the surface area of lipid droplets in this organ, parameters that indicate an improvement in hepatic steatosis. The study used a new lipid analysis, called lipidomics, which allowed the study of 467 different lipids in both the liver and plasma of the animals. Thus, in the livers of those who had consumed squalene, an increase in specific lipids was observed, although others decreased.

In particular, in plasma, squalene administration increased a non-inflammatory interleukin and also altered the plasma lipidome, increasing some triglycerides and decreasing non-esterified saturated fatty acids (NAFA).

The results of these cutting-edge analyses suggest that the addition of squalene alleviates steatohepatitis, despite the negative sign that the increase in hepatocytes would imply (although they do not imply a worsening of the disease). These results, according to the researchers, pose a new challenge in the diagnosis of liver diseases.