Erythrodiol in Pomace Olive Oil as a Protective Agent Against Atherosclerosis

The present project builds on previous studies in which we suggested that erythrodiol, a bioactive component of pomace olive oil, is capable of helping prevent cardiovascular diseases when administered as part of pomace oil, through the inhibition of atherosclerosis development.

A total of 22 adult volunteers, both women and men (18-40 years old), healthy and of normal weight, will be selected. Participants will be recruited in two phases.

In the first phase, recruitment will take place at Pablo de Olavide University. Inclusion criteria for this phase include: age between 18 and 40 years; body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m²; ability to provide informed voluntary consent; and willingness to comply with all study procedures. Candidates will be excluded if, at the time of recruitment, they exhibit any of the following: presence of any type of pathology (digestive, metabolic, endocrine, infectious, neoplastic, etc.) or food-related allergies or intolerances. Individuals taking any type of medication-except contraceptives-will also be excluded, as well as pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone who has participated in a clinical trial involving an investigational product within the past 60 days or is currently enrolled in a clinical trial. Furthermore, any person with a physical or intellectual limitation that, in the investigator's opinion, could prevent adherence to and completion of the protocol will be excluded. In this phase, only clinical history, age, weight, and height data will be collected.

In the second phase, only those subjects whose complete biochemical and hematological analyses produce results within normal ranges will be included in the study.

At the Virgen del Rocío Hospital (Seville), and after a 12-hour fast, three experiments will be conducted. In each of them, participants will be administered pomace olive oil containing different concentrations (low, medium, or high) of erythrodiol, the protective agent, in an amount of 50 g on each occasion. On the study day, blood samples will be taken (between 6 and 24 mL per draw and 90 mL total), 15 minutes before (baseline) and every hour for 6 hours after ingestion of a meal rich in the corresponding pomace oil. The meal will be accompanied by coffee (black, without sugar) or skimmed milk and whole-grain toast (3 slices). The consumption of these foods carries no health risk.

Venous access will be obtained by puncture with an Abbocath® catheter fitted with a Smartsite™ valve (Ivac®, Spec-Sets®) and a Vacutainer® system for sterile Hemogard® tubes with a silicone separator. This procedure involves only the risks inherent to simple blood sampling.

Part of the collected samples will be processed at the Clinical Analysis Laboratory Service of the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital for biochemical analysis, while another portion will be sent to the Instituto de la Grasa-CSIC.

In addition to these analyses, participants will undergo simple anthropometric measurements (weight, height, hip and waist circumference) as well as blood pressure assessment.

This procedure will be repeated after four weeks with a second oil, and four weeks later with the third one, so that all participants will have consumed all three oils.