ABSTRACT
Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of coronary heart disease and certain cancers is lower in the European Mediterranean regions than in the Northern or other Western countries (Trichopoulou et al., 2003). This has been attributed to the high consumption of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet, which contains phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. The most abun-
6.1 Bioavailability of Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds in Humans ........................................... 109 6.1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 109 6.1.2 Bioavailability Studies in Experimental Models ..................................................... 110
6.1.2.1 Absorption in the Gastrointestinal Tract .................................................... 110 6.1.2.2 First Pass Metabolism ................................................................................ 111 6.1.2.3 Hepatic Metabolism ................................................................................... 111 6.1.2.4 Are Metabolites Biologically Active? ........................................................ 112
6.1.3 Metabolic Disposition in Humans ............................................................................ 112 6.1.4 Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds as Biomarkers of Olive Oil Ingestion .................... 113 6.1.5 Binding of Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds and Their Metabolites to Human
Lipoproteins ............................................................................................................. 114 6.2 Antioxidant Effect of Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds in Humans ..................................... 114
6.2.1 Oxidative Stress, Oxidative Damage, and Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds ............ 114 6.2.2 Postprandial Studies on the Antioxidant Effect in Humans of Olive Oil
Phenolic Compounds ................................................................................................ 116 6.2.3 Studies on Antioxidant Effect in Humans of Sustained Consumption of Olive
Oil Phenolic Compounds ......................................................................................... 118 6.3 Key Points for Future Research on the Antioxidant Effect of Olive Oil Phenolic
Compounds in Humans ....................................................................................................... 123 6.3.1 Oxidative Markers .................................................................................................... 123 6.3.2 Oxidative Stress-Associated Processes ................................................................... 123 6.3.3 Nutritional Interventions .......................................................................................... 123 6.3.4 Selection of Biomarkers ...........................................................................................124
