USA: Dietary Supplementation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for HFpEF Prevention

Dietary supplementation of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) may be an effective option for secondary prevention of HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction), suggests a recent study in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

The prevalence of HFpEF is increasing worldwide but there is a lack of effective therapies to reduce morbidity and mortality. EVOO supplementation is known to be a powerful primary prevention strategy against CV events but there is no information on its role in the secondary prevention of HFpEF. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a strong prognostic marker in HFpEF. CRF is measured by peak oxygen consumption (VO₂) on cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and an increase in peak VO₂ is linked to reductions in mortality.

Hayley Ellis Billingsley, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA, and colleagues assessed the effect of EVOO supplementation on CRF measures in HFpEF patients.

The UFA-Preserved trial enrolled nine consecutive patients (56% were females with a median age of 56 (50-59) years). The trial is a dietitian-led 12-week pilot trial supplementing unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) rich foods, such as EVOO, in HFpEF patients. The researchers performed five-pass 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 week visits and analyzed with Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDSR) software. EVOO intake in grams (g) was averaged across the 4, 8 and 12 week visits and average change from baseline was calculated. Peak VO₂ (mL.kg.min⁻¹) and percent predicted value (% peak VO₂) were measured with maximal CPET at baseline and 12 weeks along with oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES).

Key Findings of the Study

• Baseline peak VO₂ was 14.7 mL.kg.min⁻¹, % peak VO₂ was 51.4 and OUES was 1.87.
• There was no EVOO intake on baseline dietary recalls, an increase in daily EVOO +23.6 g was observed between baseline and 12 weeks.
• EVOO consumption was significantly associated with positive improvements in peak VO₂, % peak VO₂, and OUES.

"Our results showed that dietary EVOO supplementation results in increased CRF in patients with HFpEF with no EVOO baseline intake," wrote the authors. "However, further studies are warranted to confirm this finding and establish a basis for testing the effect of EVOO on CRF as well as major cardiovascular outcomes and to explore these effects across differing baseline intakes of EVOO."

The study, "Dietary Supplementation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction is Associated with Increases in Cardiorespiratory Fitness," is published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

DOI: https://www.onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-9164(20)31197-0/abstract