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Consumption of Virgin Olive Oil Influences Membrane Lipid Composition and Regulates Intracellular Signaling in Elderly Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

¹ Nutrition and Lipid Metabolism, Instituto de la Grasa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Seville, Spain.
² Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biomedicine (Associated Unit of the Instituto de la Grasa, CSIC), Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
³ Hospitales Universitarios (HHUU) Virgen del Rocío, Seville. Spain.

Address correspondence to Valentina Ruiz-Gutierrez, PhD, Nutrition and Lipid Metabolism, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Av. Padre García Tejero, 4, 41012 Sevilla, Spain. E-mail: valruiz{at}ig.csic.es

We aimed to define changes in membrane fatty acids and signaling proteins induced by virgin olive oil (VOO) consumption in elderly persons with type 2 diabetes (n = 16) compared to a control group (n = 28). The fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography and G-protein subunits and protein kinase C alpha (PKC) by immunoblotting. VOO consumption increased the monounsaturated fatty acid content in phospholipids and cholesterol esters in both groups. In contrast, saturated fatty acids were decreased only in phospholipids. The levels of Go, Gß, and PKC were significantly lower in diabetics than in controls. However, whereas VOO consumption reduced Gs, Gß, and PKC in both groups, reduction in Gi was observed only in diabetics. These results indicate that long-term VOO consumption modifies the fatty acid composition of plasma membrane, which influences the association of G proteins and PKC with the lipid bilayer. These combined effects probably account for the positive effects of VOO on glycemic homeostasis.

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