Olive leaf extract the way to a man’s heart?

Olive leaf extract the way to a man’s heart?

A healthy heart is key to a healthy life – and a new study starting at Massey University’s Albany campus aims to find out if olive leaf extract helps prevent heart disease.

The study will be conducted by Stacey Lockyer and supervised by Dr Welma Stonehouse of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Human Health. It will investigate the effects olive leaf extract can have on heart disease risk factors and high blood pressure in New Zealand men.

Comvita New Zealand is sponsoring the study, and Ms Lockyer has relocated from the University of Reading in the UK for a year to undertake the research as part of her PhD.

They’re looking for 60 healthy, non-smoking men aged 18 – 65, of any ethnicity, based in the Auckland region. Prospective participants need to not be taking any blood pressure or cholesterol-lowering medication, or be using sterol-enriched spreads. They also need to forgo any current olive-containing products for the four-month duration of the study.

“Heart disease continues to reign as one of the biggest killers in New Zealand. Men taking part in this study will contribute towards establishing a scientifically-proven natural strategy to maintain a healthy heart,” Dr Stonehouse says.

The study is one of a number of clinical trials on olive leaf extract Comvita is supporting.

“Lots of work has been done testing olive leaf extract, but not for heart disease. A recently published study by the Liggins Institute found that olive leaf improves insulin sensitivity in middle-aged men, so we’re keen to find out what can happen for heart disease markers,” says Comvita’s Chief Technology Officer Dr Ralf Schlothauer.

The study will be conducted as a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, and Ms Lockyer is keen to get participants signed up as soon as possible so testing can begin.
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