Health benefits of olives and olive oil
However, little was previously known about what specific compounds and biochemical interactions in the fruit contribute to its medical and nutritional benefits such as weight loss and prevention of type 2 diabetes. A Virginia Tech research team discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism. The same compound also detoxifies another signaling molecule called amylin that over-produces and forms harmful aggregates in type 2 diabetes. In these two distinct ways, oleuropein helps prevent the onset of disease. The findings were recently published in the journal Biochemistry a s a Rapid Report, which is reserved for timely topics of unusual interest, according to the journal. "Our work provides new mechanistic insights into the long-standing question of why olive products can be anti- diabetic," said Bin Xu, lead author, assistant professor of biochemistry in th...