Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and red wine (RW) are two basic elements that form part of the so-called Mediterranean diet. Both stand out because of their high phenolic compound content and their potential related health benefits. The present study is focused on the metabolic disposition of resveratrol (RESV), tyrosol (TYR), and hydroxytyrosol (HT) following the consumption of EVOO, RW, and a combination of both. In this study, 12 healthy volunteers consumed a single dose of 25 mL of EVOO, 150 mL of RW, and a combination of both in a crossover randomized clinical trial. Urinary recovery of RESV, TYR, and HT was analysed in urine samples collected over a 6-h period following the intake of each treatment. Higher HT levels were observed following EVOO compared to RW (3788 1751 nmols and 2308 847 nmols respectively). After the combination of EVOO and RW, the recovery of TYR and HT metabolites increased statistically compared to their separate consumption (4925-1751 nmols of TYR and 6286 3198 nmols of HT). EVOO triggered an increase in glucuronide conjugates, while RW intake raised sulfate metabolites. Marginal effects were observed in RESV increased bioavailability after the combination of RW with the fat matrix provided by EVOO.

This research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FI14/00072) and by grants from DIUE of Generalitat de Catalunya (2107 SGR 138). Miriam Martínez-Huélamo was supported by a Juan de la Cierva Formación postdoctoral fellowship from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (FJCI-2015-25075) and Anna Boronat by a PFIS predoctoral fellowship from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PFIS-FI16/00106).