Benefits
Arterial fat deposits in hamsters (animal study only)
In hamsters fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, the blend was followed by 69% less fatty streak area in the aortic wall than in unsupplemented high-fat-fed animals. This is an animal result from a study paid for by the ingredient's manufacturer; no arterial outcome has been reported in people.
Blood lipids and cholesterol efflux in hamsters (animal study)
In the hamster study, supplemented animals showed 23% lower non-HDL cholesterol and 49% lower triglycerides than high-fat-fed controls, and their plasma accepted 17% more cholesterol from macrophages in culture. Total cholesterol was not significantly different (p = 0.058) and HDL cholesterol was unchanged. No blood pressure or blood flow result has been reported for this blend.
Polyphenol composition
The tested batch supplied polyphenols typical of olive, artichoke and grape, chiefly oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, with catechin, epicatechin, cynaroside and chlorogenic acid; the current formula adds pomegranate and blackcurrant. LDL oxidability was the main outcome of the registered human trial but its result has not been disclosed, so an antioxidant effect in people has not been shown.
Triglycerides and remnant cholesterol: maker-reported, not yet published
In a registered 3-week placebo-controlled crossover trial in men aged 40 to 70 with moderately raised LDL cholesterol, the maker reports lower triglycerides (by 0.27 g/L), remnant cholesterol (by 0.05 g/L) and insulin resistance score at 450 mg a day. These preliminary figures cannot be checked: no paper or registry results exist and the comparison used is not stated.
Artichoke extract on its own (class evidence, not this blend)
Pooled randomized trials of artichoke extract taken alone, at its own doses, found lower total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, with HDL cholesterol unchanged. Fytexia does not disclose how much artichoke extract a 450 mg dose of Oleactiv contains, so these results cannot be carried over to the blend.
Mechanism of action
Cholesterol efflux
Plasma from supplemented hamsters accepted more cholesterol from cultured J774 macrophages than plasma from high-fat-fed controls (total efflux +17.3%, driven mainly by passive diffusion, +28.4%). The study's authors proposed this as the route by which arterial fat deposits were reduced. Oxidation and inflammation markers were not measured.
Lipid profile in the animal model
Twelve weeks of supplementation in high-fat-fed hamsters was followed by lower non-HDL cholesterol and triglycerides than in unsupplemented high-fat-fed animals, with no change in HDL cholesterol. Nitric oxide, vasodilation and vascular tone were not assessed.
Clinical trials
Preclinical animal study paid for by Fytexia, the ingredient's manufacturer: two of the ten authors are Fytexia employees, and the paper's disclosure states that two of the three academic laboratories involved were paid by Fytexia to perform and report the work. The tested material was an alcohol and water extract of olive, artichoke, and white and red grape pomace and seed. (Romain et al. 2018, Nutrients)
21 male Golden Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in three groups of 7: standard diet, high-fat diet, or high-fat diet plus the blend at 55 mg/kg/day by oral gavage, over 12 weeks. No human participants.
Against the high-fat control group, supplemented hamsters had 69% less aortic fatty streak area, 23% lower non-HDL cholesterol, 49% lower triglycerides and 17% higher plasma cholesterol efflux capacity. Total cholesterol was not significantly different (p = 0.058) and HDL cholesterol was unchanged. These are results in animals; no human study of the blend has been published.
Randomized, quadruple-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial (e-POL, NCT05221346) at NutrInvest, Institut Pasteur de Lille, the listed sponsor: one capsule of the supplement or maltodextrin placebo daily at breakfast for 3 weeks per period. The registry's allergy exclusion names the supplement's components as grape, olive, artichoke, blackcurrant and pomegranate, so it was not the 2018 hamster-study blend. Completed October 2022; no results are posted on the registry and no paper has been published. Fytexia's page describes the trial at 450 mg a day and lists its publication as pending. (Institut Pasteur de Lille 2022, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05221346)
26 men enrolled according to the registry (Fytexia's page says 21), aged 40 to 70, BMI 20 to 30, with fasting LDL cholesterol of 1.16 to 1.9 g/L (1.0 to 1.9 g/L at moderate cardiovascular risk). People with diabetes, treated high blood pressure or recent use of cholesterol-lowering drugs were excluded.
The registered primary outcome, LDL oxidability, has not been reported, nor have LDL, HDL and total cholesterol, arterial stiffness or oxidized LDL. Fytexia reports that supplementation significantly reduced triglycerides by 0.27 g/L, remnant cholesterol by 0.05 g/L and HOMA-IR (an insulin resistance score) by 0.72, with no adverse events linked to the supplement. It does not say whether these are changes from baseline or differences from placebo and gives no group data, so the figures cannot be checked.