The anti-aging code in olives: How does a bitter molecule reverse time?

In olive groves along the Mediterranean coast, sunlight filters through silvery-green leaves to illuminate clusters of green fruits. Within these seemingly ordinary plant tissues lies a secret weapon against aging——olive bitter. In late 2024, the prestigious journal *Cell Metabolism* published groundbreaking research: scientists from the University of Padua and Nestlé Research Institute discovered that this unique bitter component in olives directly activates calcium ion channels in mitochondria, significantly enhancing muscle function and energy metabolism in elderly animals.

More remarkably, when researchers supplemented aged mice with olive bitter, their mitochondrial function showed significant recovery, with motor performance even approaching that of younger mice. This discovery establishes olive bitter as the first natural molecule proven to directly activate mitochondrial calcium channels, opening new avenues in anti-aging research.

Olive saponins also activate SIRT1, a protein known as the "longevity protein", which regulates aging-related proteins such as p53 and FOXO through deacetylation. In cell experiments, it increases proteasome activity, reduces oxidative protein accumulation, and extends the replication lifespan of human fibroblasts by about 15%.

Despite its promising prospects, olive bitter research still faces critical challenges: 1. Bioavailability bottleneck: Natural olive bitter has low oral absorption rates, requiring development of nanocarriers or structural modification technologies. 2. Dosage optimization needs: Current human studies remain insufficient, and the optimal anti-aging dosage has yet to be established. 3. Comprehensive resource utilization: Global olive oil processing generates over 1 million tons of waste leaves annually. Standardizing extraction processes could transform this byproduct into valuable resources.