Clinical trials

Alzheimer's disease begins many years before memory problems become obvious. People in the early ("prodromal") stage have memory complaints but are still independent in daily life. At present there is no treatment that prevents this stage from progressing to dementia. Olive oil contains two natural compounds, oleanolic acid and erythrodiol. Earlier work by this research team suggests that these compounds may reduce inflammation and oxidative stress and may improve the way the body handles sugars and fats, processes that are also altered in Alzheimer's disease. This study will test whether consuming olive oils that contain these compounds delays the progression from prodromal Alzheimer's disease to dementia. A total of 120 adults aged 50 to 80 years with prodromal Alzheimer's disease will take part at three public hospitals in southern Spain. Participants will be assigned by chance to one of three groups and will consume 55 mL per day of one of three oils for 12 months: olive oil enriched with oleanolic acid, pomace olive oil (which naturally contains both compounds), or a standard commercial olive oil with very low levels of these compounds. Neither the participants nor the staff assessing them will know which oil each person is receiving. Participants will attend study visits at the start of the study and after 6 and 12 months. At these visits they will complete memory and thinking tests, a physical and nutritional assessment, and blood and urine tests.

The goal of this postprandial clinical trial is to learn whether erythrodiol, a triterpene naturally present in pomace olive oil, can modulate the cell foam formation, ine of the first steps in atherosclerosis. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is erythrodiol bioavailable in humans when administered as pomace olive oil? Does acute erythrodiol intake reduce postprandial triglyceride excursions after a high-fat meal? Does erythrodiol reduce the intake of postprandial triglyceride-rich lipoproteins by macrophages? Researchers will compare participants receiving test meals enriched with different concentrations of erythrodiol (low, medium, high) to see if the intervention leads to improved postprandial metabolic and vascular responses. Participants will: Attend the research facility after an overnight fast. Consume a high-fat test meal enriched with a different doses of erythrodiol Undergo serial postprandial assessments over several hours, including: Blood sampling for lipids, glucose, inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress biomarkers Monitoring of subjective tolerability and adverse events