Plants of the Mediterranean diet to reduce cardiovascular risk

Some scientists have shown that dietary supplementation with the essential oils of some aromatic plants of the Mediterranean diet, specifically parsley, savory and rosemary, has beneficial effects on the intestinal microbiota of patients with ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes and helps reduce cardiovascular risk .

The study is the work of a team made up of specialists from the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Malaga, the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga and the Nanomedicine Platform (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), the University of Malaga and the groups of Marisa Crespo and Pedro Luis Sánchez from the Center for Biomedical Research in the Cardiovascular Diseases Network (CIBERCV), in Spain.

“This work demonstrates that essential oils derived from aromatic plants for culinary use in the Mediterranean diet promote health and protect against inflammation and oxidative stress, processes that are frequently observed in cardiometabolic diseases,” explains Francisco Javier Pavón, researcher at IBIMA Plataforma. BIONAND, the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Malaga and the CIBERCV.

To carry out the study, a group of mice were transplanted with the intestinal microbiota of patients with ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes through their feces. Next, emulsions of different essential oils from plants very common in the Mediterranean diet (specifically savory, parsley and rosemary) were developed and administered in combination with L-carnitine, a non-essential amino acid related to fat mobilization.

In this way, the team evaluated the potential of essential oil emulsions as nutraceuticals for these pathologies. The results in mice revealed that these formulations have beneficial effects on the microbiota itself, mainly promoting bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus. An increase in the levels of short-chain fatty acids and a reduction of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) were also found. Short-chain fatty acids are molecules produced by bacteria when they ferment food components inside the colon, they produce a protective effect against metabolic diseases and obesity and have an anti-inflammatory effect, among other multiple benefits for the body. . Conversely, elevated levels of TMAO in the blood have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

“The effects of these emulsions with the increase in short-chain fatty acids and the reduction of TMAO also translate into a more favorable inflammatory state, which is very beneficial for cardiovascular health” explains Manuel Jiménez, researcher at IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital, IBIMA BIONAND Platform and the CIBERCV.

Treatment with essential oil emulsions was not only associated with these microbiome changes, but also produced a general reduction in the levels of inflammatory and oxidative markers in this humanized model. Therefore, these essential oils could contribute to an improvement in the regulation of cardiovascular and metabolic factors.

From left to right: Javier Pavón Morón, Manuel Jiménez Navarro, María José Sánchez Quintero and Miguel Romero Cuevas, from the research team. (Photo: CIBERCV / IBIMA-BIONAND)

Dietary interventions based on natural bioactives

Type 2 diabetes often leads to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, such as ischemic heart disease, the most common form of cardiovascular disease and the leading cause of death in Europe. In recent decades, various strategies have been developed to reduce the morbidity and mortality of patients with coronary disease, introducing important improvements.

In this sense, previous studies in patients with ischemic heart disease suggest that the presence of type 2 diabetes is related to a deterioration of the immune system mediated by the intestinal microbiota. ”We know that type 2 diabetes can significantly alter intestinal microbial populations in patients with ischemic heart disease and also that there is growing interest in replacing pharmacological therapies with nutritional interventions and supplements of natural origin, which would result in safety and quality of life of our patients,” the team said. In this line, essential oils are bioactive components derived from herbs or plant extracts with culinary use that have been studied as potential modulators of physiological processes related to ischemic heart disease.

Despite the fact that the results are promising, the research team points out the need to extend and validate these studies with other groups of patients in order to understand in greater detail the modulation of the intestinal microbiota and physiological parameters related to these cardiometabolic diseases.

The study is entitled “Beneficial Effects of Essential Oils from the Mediterranean Diet on Gut Microbiota and Their Metabolites in Ischemic Heart Disease and Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus”. And it has been published in the academic journal Nutrients. (Source: CIBERCV / IBIMA-BIONAND)