Aceite de oliva y prevención cardiovascular: más que una grasa

espanolEl aceite de oliva es un alimento clave en la dieta mediterranea, ya que es su fuente principal de grasas y le proporciona microcomponentes de gran valor nutricional. Pero ademas existe un gran volumen de evidencia cientifica que indica que su consumo es de gran interes para la prevencion del riesgo cardiovascular. La dieta basada en aceite de oliva modula los valores lipidicos, favoreciendo el descenso de colesterol LDL, manteniendo o elevando el HDL. Adicionalmente, facilita el control de la glucosa y de la tension arterial. Pero el mayor interes actual deriva del conocimiento de que influye en mecanismos implicados en la estabilidad de la placa, diferentes de los factores de riesgo. Entre ellos estan su efecto antioxidante, su accion antiinflamatoria, su capacidad de generar un ambiente menos protrombotico y para aumentar la vasodilatacion dependiente del endotelio. Muchas de estas acciones dependen de su contenido en grasa monoinsaturada, pero otros de sus micronutrientes, en especial los compuestos fenolicos, son responsables de muchos de esos beneficios. Desde una perspectiva clinica, las evidencias disponibles son fundamentalmente estudios observacionales, pero el amplio abanico de beneficios, antes indicado, permite considerar al aceite de oliva como uno de los alimentos mas saludables. EnglishOlive oil is a key component of the mediterranean diet, in that it provides its principal source of fat and also supplies it with microcomponents of high nutritional value. Moreover, there also exists a large volume of scientific evidence that suggests that consuming olive oil is of great interest as a means of lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. Diets based on olive oil modulate lipid levels, helping to lower LDL cholesterol while maintaining or raising HDL levels. They also facilitate the control of glucose and of arterial tension. However, current interest is largely due to the realisation that they also influence mechanisms implicated in the integrity of atherosclerosis plaque, beyond the traditional risk factors. Among their advantages are theirn antioxidant effects, their antiinflammatory actions, their ability to generate a less prothrombotic environment and to increase the endothelium depended vasodilatation. Several of these actions are due to their content of monounsaturated fats, but other micronutrient components, particularly phenolic compounds, are responsible for many of these benefits. From a clinical perspective, the available evidence is basically derived from observational studies, but the wide range of benefits listed above mean that olive oil may be regarded as one of the healthiest foodstuffs available to us.