The Healthiest of Oils
Long before becoming an in-depth studied and celebrated model, the benefits of following a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and good fats were already before our very eyes; the Mediterranean regions are inhabited by some of the world’s longest-living and healthiest populations. Their diet has followed for generations that model, and extra virgin olive oil there has always been a staple.
But not all olive oils are created equal. Olive oil can be produced through different procedures, and when it comes to health benefits, production methods matter (more here). When chemicals, enzymes, or high temperatures are involved in olive oil production, consider all its intrinsic nutritional properties as good as gone. Inside an abused, refined olive oil, fatty acids are completely degraded, and antioxidants lost. There is only one way to preserve all these precious components, and that way walks as close to nature as possible: it’s called the cold-pressing method, the less-intrusive technique that guarantees to maintain all these qualities intact. The result is pure extra virgin olive oil, a unique vessel to enjoy all these beneficial effects to the fullest, drizzle after drizzle.
When compared to any other oil, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil - eaten raw or used for cooking – crushed them, and not just in terms of flavor profiles. There is substantial evidence proving that using extra virgin olive oil not only has cardiovascular benefits in healthy adults but can also reduce the risk of heart attacks in adults with pre-existing conditions[1]. Some studies investigated oleic acid, EVOO’s monounsaturated fat with effects on insulin, glucose, and lipids, and all of these effects proved to be positive[2]. Other research showed how some components of extra-virgin olive oil have a wide range of beneficial outcomes, from platelet stickiness to cell mutation rates. No other oil shares such astonishing features. Olives themselves are a dense source of antioxidants, some of which are not found anywhere else. On one particularly, called oleocanthal (the same that causes the tickling sensation in the back of your throat when you taste a good EVOO), studies have just started scratching the surface, but it has already proven to have uncountable benefits. Oleocanthal is beneficial to endothelial functions (meaning a good cardiovascular activity), included cholesterol and inflammatory markers. Yes, it has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, just like ibuprofen[3]!
Furthermore, and even if this may sound like a contradiction in terms, studies showed that extra virgin olive oil, a fat with high caloric content, is not correlated with weight gain and obesity. On the contrary, switching highly saturated fats with this good, rich in omega-3 fat can actually help lose weight[4]. Some fats are better than other, but besides the dichotomy “bad” vs “good”, it would be better to speak in terms of balance: some polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats tend to move us toward that healthy balance, and extra virgin olive oil is an excellent source of those.
[1]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043661807000333
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20929998/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16136122/
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19707219/