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New research has revealed why foods rich in unsat­u­rated fats like olive oil help pro­tect from car­dio­vas­cu­lar dis­ease. It found they pro­mote higher lev­els of a pro­tein that pre­vents the for­ma­tion of blood clots.

Apolipoprotein A‑IV, known as ApoA-IV, is a plasma pro­tein that increases after diges­tion of foods, espe­cially those rich in unsat­u­rated fats. Research links higher lev­els of ApoA-IV to a lower inci­dence of car­dio­vas­cu­lar disease.
See Also: Olive Oil Health Benefits

The new study from Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science (KRCBS) of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto showed that ApoA-IV inhibits the aggre­ga­tion of platelets, com­po­nents of the blood that can clump together and form clots within arter­ies. Such clots obstruct blood flow and are the most com­mon cause of death. 

“Platelet aggre­ga­tion can save lives because it can stop bleed­ing in dam­aged ves­sels,” said prin­ci­pal inves­ti­ga­tor Heyu Ni, Platform Director for Hematology, Cancer and Immunological Diseases at KRCBS. ​“But we usu­ally don’t want platelets to block blood flow in the ves­sels. This is throm­bo­sis, and if ves­sel occlu­sion occurs in the heart or brain, it can cause heart attack, stroke or death.”

For a blood clot to develop, a series of con­nec­tions must hap­pen. A platelet recep­tor con­nected to a platelet first bind to fib­rino­gen, an abun­dant pro­tein in blood plasma. Next, fib­rino­gen binds to another recep­tor on a sec­ond platelet. Afterward, fib­rino­gen and pos­si­bly other pro­teins allow platelets to con­nect to each other, a process that cul­mi­nates in platelet aggregation.

In the study, Ni and his col­leagues found ApoA-IV can con­nect to platelet recep­tors, thus block­ing fib­rino­gen bind­ing and reduc­ing platelet aggre­ga­tion in a blood ves­sel. Moreover, the team noted that ApoA-IV can alter its shape to accom­mo­date increased blood flow: this action helps pro­tect arter­ies from com­plete blockages.

“This is the first study to link ApoA-IV with platelets and throm­bo­sis,” Ni said. ​“With this work, we have also explained why higher lev­els of ApoA-IV can slow down plaque build-up in blood ves­sels, known as ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis because this process is also related to platelet function.”

The researchers also inves­ti­gated ApoA-IV’s inter­ac­tion with food. Eating a meal stim­u­lates platelets, which increases the like­li­hood that they’ll bind to each other or to white blood cells. However, after eat­ing a meal con­tain­ing unsat­u­rated fats, blood lev­els of ApoA-IV increase almost imme­di­ately, an effect that reduces platelet bond­ing. This decreases inflam­ma­tion that fol­lows a meal, along with the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

In addi­tion to the above find­ings, the research team observed that ApoA-IV oper­ates within a cir­ca­dian rhythm. It’s more active at night and less active in the morning.

“Mother Nature wants us to sleep well,” Ni said. ​“So we are pro­tected by this pro­tein while we sleep, and most likely to expe­ri­ence a car­dio­vas­cu­lar event after wak­ing up in the morning.”

Callie Exas, a reg­is­tered dieti­cian nutri­tion­ist from Brooklyn, New York, explained to Olive Oil Times how the new find­ings build on ear­lier research. Clearly, olive oil, espe­cially extra vir­gin, is of con­sid­er­able value for heart health.

“Studies show olive oil’s con­tent of monoun­sat­u­rated fatty acids, omega 3 fatty acids and antiox­i­dants pre­vent blood ves­sels from hard­en­ing,” she said. 

“Basically, these com­po­nents reduce the risk of car­dio­vas­cu­lar events by keep­ing the endothe­lial cells lin­ing the blood ves­sels and the heart sup­ple. In doing so, they pro­tect from wear and tear, which reduces the buildup of oxida­tive mate­ri­als and plaque in the arter­ies. These actions, as well as the platelet-inhibit­ing effect, help keep arter­ies and heart tis­sue healthy.”

The study gen­er­ated excite­ment among the researchers because it showed that foods rich in unsat­u­rated fats, together with good sleep pat­terns, max­i­mize the oppor­tu­nity for ApoA-IV to reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke and atherosclerosis. 

Ni looks for­ward to future stud­ies to explore how to har­ness this pro­tec­tion in devel­op­ing treat­ment for car­dio­vas­cu­lar dis­ease and other con­di­tions asso­ci­ated with platelet aggre­ga­tion. The results were pub­lished in the jour­nal Nature Communications.

• Nature Communications


• St. Michael’s Hospital