Chapter 129 – Influence of Olive Oil on Pancreatic, Biliary and Gastric Secretion: Role of Gastrointestinal Peptides

Publisher Summary Long-term adaptation to diets high in virgin olive oil (VOO) attenuates postprandial exocrine pancreatic secretory activity in dogs in a manner proportional to its amount in the diet. This effect is accompanied by elevation in the circulating levels of peptide YY and pancreatic polypeptide, and is exerted without derangement of nutrient utilization, hence representing a key advantage in terms of pancreatic economy. Patterns of biliary response to food in dogs fed for 8 months with diets containing VOO are indicative of a greater involvement of the gallbladder. A 30-day adaptation period to a diet containing VOO results in reduced gastric acidity following a liquid meal with the same oil in humans. Olive oil, then, may be a useful component in the nutritional therapy of those gastrointestinal diseases requiring a limitation of acid secretion. The type of dietary fat habitually consumed can influence bile composition in humans, including those with established cholelithiasis. In our study, this influence was noted in the presence of more concentrated gallbladder bile in subjects given a VOO diet without a parallel increase in cholesterol saturation index. In cholecystectomized subjects, the physiological postprandial decrease in hepatic bile lithogenicity occurred in those given VOO but not sunflower oil.