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2014-05-20 08:20:20
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
The combination of olive oil and leafy salad or vegetables is what gives the
Mediterranean diet its healthy edge, say scientists.
When these two food groups come together they form nitro fatty acids which
lower blood pressure, they told PNAS journal.
The unsaturated fat in olive oil joins forces with the nitrite in the
vegetables, the study of mice suggests.
Nuts and avocados along with vegetables should work too, they say.
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Humans have this same enzyme so we think the same happens in people
Prof Eaton Lead researcher
Inspired by traditional cuisine of countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy,
the Mediterranean diet has long been associated with good health and fit
hearts.
Typically, it consists of an abundance of vegetables, fresh fruit, wholegrain
cereals, olive oil and nuts, as well as poultry and fish, rather than lots of
red meat and butter or animal fats.
While each component of the Mediterranean diet has obvious nutritional
benefits, researchers have been puzzled about what precisely makes the diet as
a whole so healthy.
Chemical reaction
Prof Philip Eaton, from King's College London, and colleagues from the
University of California in the US believe it is the fusion of the diet's
ingredients that make nitro fatty acids.
In their study, part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, the researchers
used genetically engineered mice to see what impact nitro fatty acids had on
the body.
Nitro fatty acids helped lower blood pressure by blocking an enzyme called
epoxide hydrolase.
Prof Eaton said: "Humans have this same enzyme so we think the same happens in
people."
This explains why a Mediterranean diet is healthy, even though it contains fat,
he says.
"With the fats in the Med diet, if taken together with nitrates or nitrites,
there's a chemical reaction and these combine to form nitro fatty acids.
"It's nature's protective mechanism. If we can tap into this we could make new
drugs for treating high blood pressure and preventing heart disease," he said.
He said human trials were planned.
Dr Sanjay Thakrar of the British Heart Foundation said: "This interesting study
goes some way to explain why a Mediterranean diet appears to be good for your
heart health. The results showed a way in which a particular compound could
combat high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.
"However, more work is necessary as these experiments were conducted in mice
and this compound could also be having its effect through other pathways."