The effects of olive oil and Cholesterol enriched diet on aortic fatty
streak development and lipid peroxidation in Rabbits
Abstract
Aim: High plasma cholesterol levels, mainly LDL is a widely recognized
major risk factor for Coronary Heart Disease( CHD). According to the
epidemiologic studies findings, people from the Mediterranean countries,
have lower CHD rates than other countries, in these countries the usual
diet is high in olive oil. The present study compares the effects of
cholesterol-enriched diet with or without adding olive oil on serum
Lipoproteins, lipid peroxidation, and atherosclerosis development.
Methods: Twenty Dutch male rabbits were categorized into four groups
(one group as Control, and others as Experimental ). They received one
of Standard (I), Olive oil rich (II), Cholesterol – rich (III), and
Cholesterol + Olive oil (IV) diet for Twelve weeks. Fasting blood
samples from the heart were collected at the beginning, and the end of
the experimental period. Results: Means of serum lipids were not
significantly different at the beginning of the experimental period.
After intervention, significant differences were showen in total
cholesterol, HDL-C, triglyceride and MDA between groups. The comparison
of III and the IV groups showed a higher mean of MDA in group III
(P< 0.001). Any aortic lesion was not observed at I and II
groups. Aortic lesions in IV group showed a significantly lower degree
than group III (p=0.02). Conclusions: These findings showed the
preventive effect of olive oil against atherosclerosis development which
is independent of plasma lipoprotein effect, and suggested that probably
olive oil acts on arteries directly.