What can high polyphenol oil do for diabetes?

Since there are so many different types of polyphenols - over 8,000 - it's hard to say which combination of them can play a role in the management or prevention of diabetes. Since there almost infinite combinations of polyphenols, it's easier to study their effects when they come together, packaged in a widely consumed food - like extra virgin olive oil.

In 2017, academics studied the effects of polyphenol containing food on the management of diabetes. These foods included green tea, capsaicin; extracted from cayenne chillis, ginger and others.

Chilli peppers, a polyphenol containing food

The reviewers concluded the following:

Growing evidence indicates that various dietary polyphenols may influence blood glucose at different levels and may also help control and prevent diabetes complication. Source

Does extra virgin olive oil help with diabetes?

High quality extra virgin olive oil is one of the most famous and well studied high polyphenol foods. Arguably the most important food in Mediterranean diet, it has been found in studies to play an important role in prevention of hypertension, ischemic stroke, and heart attack Source.

Do the benefits continue when it comes to diabetes though? Taking a look at this study from 2016, it would appear the answer is yes. The study found that in pre-diabetic patients a meal containing extra virgin olive oil was associated with a reduction of glucose activity and a significant increase of insulin after a meal.

High polyphenol olive oil

Another study focused specifically on high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). This one finding that the oil significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose. The researchers conclude that daily consumption of high polyphenol EVOO could improve metabolic control and reduce circulating pro-inflammatory profiles in overweight patients with type 2 diabetes.

What about type 1 diabetes?

There is also some evidence to show that EVOO might be able to prevent type 1 diabetes. In a study on mice researchers found that EVOO supplementation may improve pancreas inflammation and prevent type 1 diabetes in mice - in part by modulating gut microbiota. Although this is early research and more human studies are required before drawing any firm conclusions, it is evidence that EVOO may be beneficial to type 1 pre-diabetic people.

Another study found that hydroxytyrosol, one of the main polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil produced an antioxidant and nephroprotective (kidney protecting) effect in an experimental model of type 1-like diabetes.

Conclusion

Overall, it seems the evidence for daily consumption of high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil having a beneficial effect on both types of diabetes is mounting. There is also evidence that this type of oil can be beneficial in the prevention of pre-diabetes.