My attention has recently been focused toward olive oil benefits as I accepted an invitation to buy some high-polyphenol olive oil from Spain. The initial proposal and discussion of olive oil concerns and potential benefits were convincing enough to buy now and learn later. Ha. So, here I am learning later. I’m sure most of us have at least heard olive oil has health benefits, but I’ve never really dissected the information. There are two in depth reviews on olive oil that I want to share. In a follow up post, I am going to discuss the quality problems with buying olive oil from your grocery store.
Biological Activities of Phenolic Compounds Present in Virgin Olive Oil
This is a very current review summarizing the current knowledge of the phenolic compounds in olive oil. Both in vitro and in vivo studies in animals and humans have shown the phenolic compounds in olive oil have beneficial effects on plasma lipoproteins, oxidative damage, inflammatory markers, platelet and cellular function, antimicrobial activity, and bone health.
Lower rates of heart disease and certain cancers in the Mediterranean region have been partially attributed virgin olive intake which ranges from 25-50ml/day. Studies have correlated the health benefits of virgin olive oil to the highly bioavailable phenolic compounds, and at least 36 different phenolic compounds are known.
Variation in the concentration of phenolic compounds in olive oil is due to the region, agricultural techniques, maturation of fruit at harvest, oil extraction process, process, storage, and time since harvest. Also, cooking alters the concentration of phenolic compounds.
This review continues with a summary of the bioavailability of several phenolic compounds and their benefits. So, if you are interested in the specifics of the compounds, follow the title’s link for the pdf. Below is a neat diagram of the biological activities of the phenolic compounds in olive oil.
Top 3 Phenolic Compounds in Olive Oil:
Hydroxytyrosol
Tyrosol
Oleuropein
This review goes into detail the benefits of the phenolic compounds in olive oil, and the evidence seems pretty concrete. Trying to select healthy fats/oils as been a moderate concern of mine, and I think that buying some high quality olive oil to incorporate into my diet is a great start to picking the right fats.
So, between my food fats from raw nuts/seeds and avocados and then my oil fats from flax oil and now soon to be high-polyphenol olive oil, I think I have a great selection of fats/oils to pull from for a healthy diet. Since I do eat a higher fat diet, I want to consume the best fats I can. Fats seem to be an area of potential health danger if the wrong or over processed ones are selected, so my paranoia in this area seems legitimate based on what I have read.
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This is another similar interesting review on olive oil’s health benefits that is worth at least a quick glance.
