Fats in Olive Oil, Fish Ease Pancreatitis

Researchers at the University of Granada have shown fatty acids and compounds found in virgin olive oil can help relieve symptoms of pancreatitis.

Oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol, found in high concentration in virgin olive oil, as well as n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish are common ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. The researchers found that these compounds affect the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of acute pancreatitis, a disease of oxidative-inflammatory etiology.

Via an in vitro experimental model, the researchers were able to evaluate how the type of fat ingested affects the membrane fatty acid composition and the ability of cells to respond to local inflammation in the pancreas.

María Belén López Millán, author of the study, notes "there is increasing evidence that there are oxidative-inflammatory processes involved in the origin of chronic diseases and that diet plays an important role in such processes. The antioxidant (phenolic compounds) and antiinflammatory (omega-3 fatty acids) effects of diet components (nutrients and bioactive compounds) prevent/mitigate the pathological incidence of oxidative-inflammatory processes."