Reducing blood pressure with olive leaf extract.
Treatments based on Oleuropein prove their effectiveness in preventing and reducing hypertension. The quality of the olive leaf extract and how to use it are essential.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the most common silent illnesses. The diagnosis is fundamental to avoid major health problems, and the same happens with its treatment. Doctors have always the last word, although sometimes it is enough to modify certain habits of life to obtain an improvement. In other cases, it is necessary to go to medicines. In both scenarios, olive leaf extract is displayed as the perfect ally of natural and pharmacological treatments.
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What are olive leaf extracts?
It is a product with a high concentration of compounds present in the olive leaf, which perform a healthy function in the human body when ingested or applied to the skin. For this reason they are also called active compounds.
To obtain this product, the olive leaf is subjected to an extraction process – mechanical or chemical – of those components desired to be concentrated in a product that can later be used by itself or as an ingredient of another formula.
The advantage of the extract is to achieve a higher concentration – thousands of times even higher – than the one contained in the plant.
Read our Q&A about plant extracts.
In the case of the olive leaf, its most attractive active compound, and the majority in this part of the plant, is Oleuropein. This is a phenol of high bioavailability (of great use by the body) with a remarkable antioxidant function.
Antioxidants are those agents that fight the oxidation of the cells caused by free radicals, which in turn appear due to endogenous causes (metabolic processes) and exogenous ones (tobacco, alcohol, solar radiation, environmental pollution, stress, etc.).
More information about free radicals and antioxidants.
Numerous scientific studies have demostrated the elevated antioxidant action of Oleuropein in low density lipoproteins (LDL), the cause of the so-called bad cholesterol and whose oxidation contributes to the development of atherosclerosis: the creation of plaques within arteries whose accumulation narrows the blood flow as time goes by.
In this sense, its cardioprotective function is important since it also protects the heart against ischemic heart attacks, elevated blood lipid levels and, as we will see next, high blood pressure.
Other properties of Oleuropein.
What is hypertension?
Hypertension happens when blood put too much pressure on the walls of the arteries.
The cardiovascular system requires that the blood that pumps the heart pushes the arteries so that they lead this same blood to the different organs of the human body. When the heart contracts, the pressure is maximum, and when it expands, minimum.
In a normal situation, the systolic pressure (when the heart beats) and the systolic (the pressure between each beat) are below 120 and 80 mm Hg. respectively. When the first one or both of them exceed these limits, the pressure is excessive.
When the blood presses hard the arteries, the heart muscle must make a overexertion that is translated in an increase of the muscular mass of the heart. The problem is that this increase does not entail an increase in the corresponding blood supply. This situation is what in medical terms is known as left ventricular hypertrophy and can lead to coronary insufficiency, angina and arrhythmias.
Hypertension also causes problems in the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys and brain.
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Causes of hypertension.
Nowadays they are still unknown, but it has been demonstrated a relationship between high blood pressure and chronic renal, endocrine and tumoral affections. Overweight also affects the blood pressure, especially when the excess of fat is concentrated around the waist and the diameter is greater than one hundred centimeters in men and 90 in women (these levels can vary according to the constitution of the person). In addition, and according to the studies, chronic stress can contribute to suffer this ailment.
Treatments for hypertension.
High blood pressure can be treated to the extent that the levels return to normal and they remain this way in the long term. However, once this dysfunction arises, it is considered a non-curable disease that requires permanent control.
When the pressure is very high and, in any case, when doctors advise it, the treatment consists of taking prescribed medication.
But regardless of whether or not there is medication, adopting a healthy lifestyle contributes to reduce hypertension. Sometimes these new habits are enough to get back to normal levels.
- Reducing overweight. According to data from the Mayo Clinic, the loss of one kilogram of weight can lead to a reduction in high blood pressure by approximately 1 mm Hg.
- Restricting salt. Based on this source, the intake of sodium in less than 1500 mg daily can imply a reduction of up to 5 and 6 mm Hg.
- Exercising regularly. An average of daily 30 minutes light physical activity can reduce the pressure by up to 8 mm Hg.
- Giving up smoking.
- Controlling stress.
- A diet rich in antioxidants.
By foods: fruits, vegetables and healthy fats, accompanied by other heart-friendly foods such as cereal grains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy foods.
Dietary supplements: the oral intake of products supplied in capsules or vials, rich in antioxidants such as oleuropein.
Olive leaf extracts rich in oleuropein are effective in reducing hypertension.
Studies on the use of Oleuropein in cases of hypertension.
The polyphenols of the olive leaf and fruit have been the subject of numerous scientific studies in vitro and in vivo. And while many natural products have proven effective against hypertension, studies demostrate the high performance of some molecules present in the olive leaf. In particular, the oleanolic acid and especially oleuropein.
Olive leaf extracts with a concentration of Oleuropein around 20% have been shown to be effective in cases of mild or moderate hypertension. The reduction begins to be noticed after eight weeks, according to clinical trials, and in some cases it has been accompanied by a drop in the level of triglycerides.
How to use olive leaf extracts.
The usual dose used in the studies is a shot of 500 mg of extract, twice a day, with a concentration of Oleuropein around 5: 1
The olive leaf extracts are presented in powder format and are usually sold in capsules, although it is also possible to dilute them in liquids as long as it will be ensured that the dose is the adequate one.
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Is the infusion of the olive leaf as effective as the extract?
No, it is not. The elevate concentration of Oleuropein in an extract is always superior than the infused leaf. On the other hand, extracts allow to administer the required dose.
Benefits of taking Olive Leaf Extracts.
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- It is a completely natural product. The only raw material is the olive leaf, and the elements that intervene in the extraction process (which is minimally invasive) come from natural substances.
- It is an allergen-free product.
- Includes prominent minority components. Although the main ingredient is Oleuropein, it contains other phenols – in a very small proportion – of high bioactivity such as Hydroxytyrosol.
- It is easy to take them.
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If you are thinking of formulating with Oleuropein or want to buy the product, contact with Nutexa to receive more information and advice.
SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES
Clinica Mayo. Presión arterial alta. https://www.mayoclinic.org/es-es/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410
Fundación Española del Corazón. Hipertensión. https://fundaciondelcorazon.com/prevencion/riesgo-cardiovascular/hipertension-tension-alta.html
Gorzynik-Debicka, M., Przychodzen, P., Cappello, F., Kuban-Jankowska, A., Marino Gammazza, A., Knap, N., Wozniak, M., … Gorska-Ponikowska, M. (2018). Potential Health Benefits of Olive Oil and Plant Polyphenols. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(3), 686. doi:10.3390/ijms19030686
Haris, S. 2009. Oleuropein in Olive and its Pharmacological Effects. College of Pharmacy, Qassim University
Hashmi, M. A., Khan, A., Hanif, M., Farooq, U., & Perveen, S. (2015). Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology of Olea europaea (Olive). Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM.
Perrinjaquet-Moccetti, T., Busjahn, A., Schmidlin, C., Schmidt, A.,Bradl, B., Aydogan, C. 2008. Food supplementation with an olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf extract reduces blood pressure in borderline hypertensive monozygotic twins. Phytotherapy Research, 22:1239-1242.