Effect of olive oil intake and vitamin C in body and fat tissue development

Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by an accumulation of adipose tissue in the body, which results in an increase in body weight and eventually to health problems. It is a risk factor for the development of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and some different types of cancer. Olive oil, which is present in the Mediterranean diet, contains beneficial substances such as polyphenols and monounsaturated fatty acids that have a positive effect on the metabolism. Other substances, such as the vitamin C of fruits and vegetables, have a positive effect on the protection against fat oxidation.

The aim of the present study is to analyze the body and fat tissue development in Wistar rats fed with liquid diets based on olive oil and supplemented with vitamin C for 30 days.

The results showed that the overfed animals increased their body weight 75-100% compared to their controls. In addition, the hyperlipidic groups had a higher growth rate (68-75%) than the control groups (33-43%). The feeding with hyperlipidic diets caused a significant increase in the accumulation of adipose tissue in the animals. In addition, the increase in adipose tissue is considerably higher than the general body development, with a greater rise in the animals of the hyperlipidic groups compared to their control groups. Vitamin C did not prevent from obesity.