Olive oil is one of the most commonly consumed fats in the Mediterranean region of Europe and has recently become widespread in Japan. Olive oil has been well studied in relation to obesity and cardiovascular disease, but its effects on skeletal muscle have not been well understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of olive oil on exercise performance and skeletal muscle properties in mice.

MICE WERE FED A DIET CONTAINING 7% OLIVE OIL (CONTROL GROUP: SOYA OIL) FOR 8 WEEKS. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT OLIVE OIL SUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVED RUNNING ENDURANCE AND THAT THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE ACCUMULATION OF INTRAMUSCULAR FAT, AN ENERGY SUBSTRATE IN MUSCLE. INTRAMUSCULAR FAT IS A TYPE OF ECTOPIC FAT, AND WHILE ITS ACCUMULATION DUE TO EXERCISE TRAINING IS CONSIDERED TO BE OF GOOD QUALITY (THE ATHLETE PARADOX), ITS ACCUMULATION DUE TO OBESITY IS KNOWN TO CAUSE METABOLIC DISTURBANCES. THE ACCUMULATION OF DIACYLGLYCEROL, A MALIGNANT LIPID, WAS NOT DETECTED IN INTRAMUSCULAR FAT, BUT AN INCREASE IN TRIACYLGLYCEROL (TAG) WAS OBSERVED. WE ALSO FOUND THAT THE INCREASE WAS DUE TO ALTERED EXPRESSION OF DGAT1, A TAG SYNTHASE (EXERCISE TRAINING-INDUCED INTRAMUSCULAR FAT GAIN IS ALSO MEDIATED BY DGAT1).

The elucidation of this study has shown that the type of fat or oil consumed on a daily basis can alter skeletal muscle properties and thereby improve exercise performance. In the future, we would like to pursue the physiological significance of the transition of the energy substrates used during exercise and the increase of intramuscular fat, and aim to develop health functional foods that replace the effects that can be obtained by exercise training as "exercise mimetic foods".
*But be careful not to consume too much as it is only an oil.