Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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07.12.2011 |
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Animal study: olive oil strengthens bones
Female rats that no longer synthesise estradiol resemble women in the menopause. Their bone mass declines, so scientists like to use them for research on substances that may help fight osteoporosis. Among these are the Egyptian researchers at Ain Shams University, who wrote in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine that enrichment of the diet with olive oil prevents breakdown of bone tissue once estradiol production has ceased.
Study
Half of the rats were given 10 ml virgin olive oil per kg bodyweight every day [Olive-OVX]. That was 9 g in weight, and this amount contained about 20 mg phenols such as hydroxytyrosol [1], oleuropein [2] and oleocathal [3] [structural formulas shown below].
If you convert these doses conservatively to human equivalents, you arrive at about 200 mg olive phenols per day. And there are no doubt supplements available that contain this amount per capsule.
The rats were given the olive oil four weeks before the researchers operated on them, and continued for eight weeks afterwards.
Results
The researchers also discovered a possible explanation for the bone-building effect of olive oil in the rats' blood. They found that the blood contained lower levels of nitrates and malondialdehyde [MDA]. Both of these are markers for inflammatory processes. Olive oil apparently inhibits attacks by inflammatory systems on the bone mass.
Conclusion
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