Diet to Reduce the Metabolic Syndrome Associated with Menopause. The Logic for Olive Oil

Endocrine Changes in Postmenopausal Women: A Comprehensive View

Menopause, when menstrual cycles stop, is brought on by a decline in the level of the hormones progesterone and oestrogen synthesised by the ovaries. Menopause is an unavoidable stage of a female's lifecycle, but because experiences differ for every woman, several women require health care aid to manage their health problems. The physiological variations that take place at various periods of the reproducing age, along with the kind and timing of menopause, are components that are frequently associated with a greater threat of cardiometabolic illness. The most researched associations between menopause and cardiometabolic health are reduced levels of ovarian estrogen synthesis and excessive amounts of androgen during the onset of menopause. Although testosterone and oestrogens have differing effects on adipocyte physiology, it is debatable how important oestrogens are for the emergence of metabolic disorders following menopause. The control of adipocyte differentiation by the brain as well as potential roles of oestrogen and endocrine disruptors chemicals are reviewed in this systematic review of the subject. In general, women had a greater frequency of metabolic syndrome compared to men. Female metabolism was significantly impacted by overt hyperthyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism. Osteoporosis is another medical condition that menopausal women may experience. Estrogen deprivation is the main contributor to osteoporosis in menopausal women. The regular cycle of bone turnover is disrupted by the decrease in estrogen secretion, which boosts osteoclastic resorption activity while decreasing osteoblastic activity. The entire article assesses and provides information on all the changes in a woman's life after menopause.

Mediterranean diet for cancer prevention and survivorship

Cancer is one of the main noncommunicable diseases in terms of health impact. Factors such as a progressively aging population point to future increases in the incidence of cancer on a global level. The elevated number of affected individuals, together with continuous improvements in cancer prevention and therapy, is creating a growing population of cancer survivors, with often inadequately met needs. Lifestyle is a key modulator of cancer risk and of associated morbidity and mortality, and is included in all approaches to the long-term management of cancer. Diet is a principal component of lifestyle, and most of the available evidence is centered on the Mediterranean diet. Our objective was to provide a narrative review of the evidence on the effect of the Mediterranean diet on cancer risk and health threats related to cancer survivorship. For this purpose, we searched the PubMed database for articles published between January 1, 2000, and June 12, 2023. Current data show that the Mediterranean diet is inversely associated with risk, or is risk neutral, for most types of cancer. Tumors of the digestive system have received preferential interest, but studies have also been published on tumors in other organs. The evidence, however, is meager due to the observational nature of most studies, although it is reassuring that benefit is reproduced in studies performed in different populations and environments. Evidence related to cancer survivors is limited by the paucity of studies, yet several findings regarding survival, recurrence, and short- and long-term morbidity suggest a potential role for the Mediterranean diet that warrants further research.

Dietary olive oil intake induces female-specific hepatic lipid accumulation without metabolic impairment in mice

Olive oil is one of the most widely researched Mediterranean diet components in both experimental models and clinical studies. However, the relationship between dietary olive oil intake and liver function in a healthy state of the body remains unclear. Because men are at a greater risk of developing hepatic diseases than women, and because hepatic metabolism is regulated by sex hormones, we hypothesized that olive oil-induced changes in hepatic metabolism would differ by sex. To test our hypothesis, 12-week-old C57BL/6JJcl male and female mice were fed an olive oil diet for 4 weeks. Blood was collected and serum biochemical components were analyzed. Hepatic lipid accumulation was determined via histological analysis using Sudan III staining. Finally, transcript expression levels of hepatic metabolism-related genes were analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We observed significant increased hepatic lipid droplet accumulation in olive oil-fed female mice. Serum biochemical and liver messenger RNA expression analyses revealed that the hepatic lipid accumulation was nonpathological and did not involve inflammation. Moreover, the expression of genes related to triacylglycerol and fatty acid synthesis (Dgat1, Dgat2, Agpat3, and Fasn) was significantly upregulated in the liver of olive oil-fed female mice compared with control female mice. Our study demonstrates female-specific hepatic lipid accumulation without liver impairment in a dietary olive oil-fed mouse model. These findings provide a deeper mechanistic understanding of sex-dependent hepatic lipid metabolism of dietary oils.

Oxytocin and Bone: Review and Perspectives

Recent data demonstrate the anabolic effect of oxytocin on bone. Bone cells express oxytocin receptors. Oxytocin promotes osteoblasts differentiation and function, leading to an increased bone formation with no effect on bone resorption and an improvement of bone microarchitecture. Oxytocin is synthetized by osteoblasts, and this synthesis is stimulated by estrogen. Animal studies demonstrate a direct action of oxytocin on bone, as the systemic administration of oxytocin prevents and reverses the bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency. Although oxytocin is involved in bone formation in both sexes during development, oxytocin treatment has no effect on male osteoporosis, underlining the importance of estrogen that amplifies its local autocrine and paracrine secretion. There are few human data showing a decrease in the oxytocin serum level in anorexia nervosa independently of estrogen and in amenorrheic women associated with impaired bone microarchitecture; in post-menopausal women a higher oxytocin serum level is associated with higher bone density, but not in osteoporotic men. Oxytocin displays many effects that may be beneficial in the management of osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive disorders, breast cancer, diabetes and body fat gain, all age-related diseases affecting elderly women, opening exciting therapeutic perspectives, although the issue is to find a single route, dosage and schedule able to reach all these targets.

Addition of Olive Leaf Extract to a Mixture of Algae and Extra Virgin Olive Oils Decreases Fatty Acid Oxidation and Synergically Attenuates Age-Induced Hypertension, Sarcopenia and Insulin Resistance in Rats

Olive-derived products, such as virgin olive oil (EVOO) and/or olive leaf extracts (OLE), exert anti-inflammatory, insulin-sensitizing and antihypertensive properties and may be useful for stabilizing omega 3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) due to their high content in antioxidant compounds. In this study, the addition of OLE 4:0.15 (w/w) to a mixture of algae oil (AO) rich in n-3 PUFA and EVOO (25:75, w/w) prevents peroxides formation after 12 months of storage at 30 °C. Furthermore, the treatment with the oil mixture (2.5 mL/Kg) and OLE (100 mg/Kg) to 24 month old Wistar rats for 21 days improved the lipid profile, increased the HOMA-IR and decreased the serum levels of miRNAs 21 and 146a. Treatment with this new nutraceutical also prevented age-induced insulin resistance in the liver, gastrocnemius and visceral adipose tissue by decreasing the mRNA levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Oil mixture + OLE also attenuated the age-induced alterations in vascular function and prevented muscle loss by decreasing the expression of sarcopenia-related markers. In conclusion, treatment with a new nutraceutical based on a mixture of EVOO, AO and OLE is a useful strategy for improving the stability of n-3 PUFA in the final product and to attenuate the cardiometabolic and muscular disorders associated with aging.

Impact of the Level of Adherence to Mediterranean Diet on the Parameters of Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

High adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with a lower prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). The present study aimed to investigate the impact of MD adherence on parameters of MetS. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Central Registry of Clinical Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Observational studies that recorded adherence to MD and components/measures of the MetS, such as waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides (TG), were included in this study. A total of 58 studies were included in our study. WC and TG were significantly lower in the high adherence MD group (SMD: −0.20, (95%CI: −0.40, −0.01), SMD: −0.27 (95%CI: −0.27, −0.11), respectively), while HDL cholesterol was significantly higher in the same group (SMD: −0.28 (95%CI: 0.07, 0.50). There was no difference in FBG and SBP among the two groups (SMD: −0.21 (95%CI: −0.54, 0.12) & SMD: −0.15 (95%CI: −0.38, 0.07), respectively). MD may have a positive impact on all parameters of MetS. However, further research is needed in this field.