Valuable "ally" health olive oil

The olive tree, symbol of peace and wisdom always to the Greeks, is a product of the Cretan land since at least 3000 BC, after the dry subtropical climate and the wider Mediterranean region offers ... ideal living conditions for the evergreen tree Olea europaea from which the oil.

Scientific interest in the oil was rekindled when the "Seven Countries Study" (decade 1960) highlighted the Mediterranean diet, and hence the oil as a key component of this, as a factor in reducing mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence.

What makes olive oil so special?

The oil consists of 80% monounsaturated fatty acids, a type of fatty acids whose consumption has repeatedly been associated with desirable changes in lipid profile. Another element that highlights the nutritional value of olive oil are the phenols, which have antioxidant properties.



Interesting is that the extra virgin olive oil are multiple richer in antioxidants than regular oil, which highlights the importance of the production process. Many research even today, is not able to distinguish if the monounsaturated fatty or phenolic compounds binding the oil with health conditions.

What are the beneficial effects of olive oil on health?

Thanks to the above ingredients, olive oil seems to affect positive indicators of cardiovascular function mainly.

More specifically, replacement of saturated fat in our diets with monounsaturated fat improves blood lipids resulting in a reduction in total and LDL cholesterol, while it has also been shown that such a diet high in monounsaturated is probably preferable to a low total fat diet in the functioning arteries.

In addition, olive oil phenols are a good dietary source of antioxidants which offer greater resistance to deterioration of the oil heat treatment during cooking, such as frying, making it perhaps the most healthy choice for this.

Furthermore, in conjunction with the endogenous antioxidant mechanisms of the body, protects the blood lipids, and seeing the LDL cholesterol from the harmful oxidation in the blood, thereby reducing the risk for creating plaque.

Indeed, the European Food Safety Agency has recognized the hydroxy-tyrosol (predominant phenolic compound of olive oil) for its protective effect against oxidation of LDL. It has been shown that additional diets where over 12% of total energy provided by monounsaturated fatty acids have beneficial effects on adipose tissue and blood pressure, helping to combat the metabolic syndrome.

Similar effects have been observed in diabetes and cancer where a recent meta-analysis showed that individuals who had the greatest observed consumption of olive oil were the least likely to suffer from any form of cancer.

Back in extra virgin olive oil

Olive oil has a special place in the heart and in the Greek diet. The value, which is characterized by its unique combination of nutrients mentioned above, increases with increasing quality and that it is necessary to strictly respected.

This does not only ensure the ground conditions and cultivated olive trees, but also by the desire to screen the wrist and respect for the processing.

So these principles are well aware of the Cretans since the period of the "Study of Seven Countries" and continue today to give us the precious oil with generous benefits.