Νutrigenomic effects of virgin olive oil polyphenols within the frame of the Mediterranean diet

In 2010, the main scientific advance of Dr. Valentini Konstantinidou’s doctoral thesis was published in the FASEB Journal. The FASEB Journal is the world’s most cited biology journal owned by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Dr. Konstantinidou’s research findings, directed by Dr. Maria Isabel Covas, were published in the July 2010 issue of the journal and received immediate worldwide media attention. For the first time, the nutrigenomic effect of the Mediterranean diet enriched with extra virgin olive oil was reported in humans.

For the first time, until that moment, we saw gene expression genes after 3 months of adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet, enhanced with extra virgin olive oil, in healthy people, without any medication. Only real food. We observed gene expression changes in genes related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis showing a clear nutrigenomic mechanism.

Press communications in first-class press agencies (i.e. science daily, csic, yahoo etc) embraced and shared the exciting news that these foods could change the expression of human genes associated with atherosclerosis function and protect our health.

The original article can be found in PUBMEB, NIH National Library of Medicine.