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Researchers at Virginia Tech have found that a natural compound—elenolic acid—may help fight obesity and type 2 diabetes.
After just one week of treatment, elenolic acid lowered blood sugar in mice even more effectively than some of the strongest medications available.
What the Researchers Learned
“Lifestyle changes and public health measures have had limited impact on the rising prevalence of obesity, one of the main risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes,” said Dunmin Liu, a dietitian and the study’s lead author. She noted that existing obesity medications are often ineffective, expensive, or carry health risks for patients. So the team set out to develop “safer, cheaper, and more convenient multi-purpose medications that could prevent metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes.”
In a previous study on laboratory mice, Liu’s team found that elenolic acid stimulates the release of two metabolic hormones that tell the brain when to stop eating, essentially signaling satiety.
One of these hormones is glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which, like some popular drugs, helps regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. The other is peptide YY (PYY), a lesser-known peptide released by intestinal cells that helps signal fullness after a meal, as reported by ScienceAlert.
Previous work in mice showed that even a single dose of concentrated elenolic acid can trigger GLP-1 and PYY release.
In the new study, Dunmin Liu and her colleague Hanna Alhalidi gave elenolic acid orally to mice with diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes. (Details about dosage, concentration, frequency, treatment duration, and the number of mice have not yet been disclosed.)
After one week, treated mice weighed significantly less and had more stable blood sugar than they did before treatment and compared with mice that did not receive elenolic acid.
The researchers say that, unlike some existing medications, elenolic acid prompts the body to produce more of its own metabolic hormones.
“Overall, the study showed that elenolic acid from olives has a promising effect on hormone production and metabolism, especially in individuals suffering from obesity and diabetes,” said Dunmin Liu.
“It seems this compound mimics the physiological signals of food intake, directly stimulating the gut to release metabolic hormones that help regulate energy balance and metabolic health,” she added.
Human trials are still needed for elenolic acid
Elenolic acid occurs in ripe olives and extra-virgin olive oil (Olea europaea). It can also be produced more cheaply by breaking down oleuropein, a compound found in olive skin and pulp, as well as in the leaves and seeds.
Researchers say it’s unlikely a person could eat enough olives or drink enough extra-virgin olive oil to reach the doses used in the experiments. Also, oleuropein is usually removed from most olive products because of its bitter taste.
So scientists won’t know how concentrated elenolic acid affects humans until clinical trials are done. The team is now tracing how the compound moves through the body to study its effects on metabolism and to gather safety data for future trials.
The results were presented at the NUTRITION 2024 conference in Chicago.
