Consuming extra virgin olive oil is the best choice among condiments — for its flavor and fragrance, but above all for its many health virtues. It is a friend to the heart, a natural anticancer ally and an ally of youth. Here is what makes it so.
People have used olive oil since ancient times, and today it remains one of the pillars of the Mediterranean Diet. Countless clinical and epidemiological studies point to it as the best and most suitable fat for human nutrition among all those widely consumed. The reason is simple: extra virgin olive oil is the only oil produced solely by squeezing olives, without chemical solvents or other industrial intervention, as happens with other vegetable oils and fats. It has remained a genuine, natural product over the years — an olive juice that carries every precious substance from the fruit straight into the oil.
Heart health
What the research says about oleic acid
According to research by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), extra virgin olive oil carries several substances that are good for the human body. Monounsaturated fatty acids are the most active in preventing cardiovascular disorders, and oleic acid helps regulate cholesterol, lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol relative to HDL ("good") cholesterol. Oleic acid prevents arterial lesions and reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, thrombosis and coronary heart disease in general. Its monounsaturated fats also make the oil particularly resistant to alteration: well preserved, it does not go rancid, and it cooks well even at high temperatures — in frying, for example — without forming the harmful substances that oils rich in polyunsaturated fats, like most seed oils, can produce. Extra virgin olive oil is the only condiment used when weaning infants, because it contains essential polyunsaturated fats w6 and w3 in the correct balance, similar to breast milk.
Antioxidants
Why polyphenols matter
What also sets extra virgin oils apart from other oils is their content of polyphenols, very particular antioxidants. In nature, oil is normally stored inside a seed — hazelnut, soy, sunflower and so on. But for the olive, nature chose something new and unusual: to concentrate the fat above all in the outer part of the fruit, the pulp. That offers the fat an unstable, uncomfortable environment, rich in water and enzymes that, once the olive is picked, keep working to degrade it — so olive fats are born at a disadvantage compared with seed fats. This is where polyphenols come in: very powerful natural antioxidants able to protect fat in that unfavorable, watery environment, just as they protect the fats found in the watery environment of our own cells. Polyphenols matter for our health too: they protect the integrity of cell membranes, defend against the formation and development of many types of tumors, and seem to also counter memory loss and other cognitive decline linked to aging. They also protect vitamin E itself from oxidation. Polyphenols have a bitter and spicy taste, so if an oil shows those two notes, it means the polyphenols are present. Only high-quality oils containing at least 250 mg of polyphenols per kilo can state their presence on the label — though some oils contain far more, real health elixirs worth looking for on the label.
Vitamin E and beyond
A natural source of vitamin E
Extra virgin olive oil is also a natural source of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that protects cell membranes from aging. For this reason it is considered the vitamin of beauty. The more a food is rich in oxidizable fats, the more vitamin E it needs to protect them from free radicals — so what matters is not just how much vitamin E a fat contains, but how much relative to its oxidizable fats. Thanks to squalene, the oil is also thought to help counteract skin cancers.
Extra virgin olive oil is therefore the most balanced condiment in nature, rich in substances beneficial to the human body, and poor in the saturated fats responsible for raising blood cholesterol and linked to problems such as arterial occlusion, arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction.
Keeping it fresh
Extra virgin olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean Diet, best used raw when possible. Storage matters too: it must always be bottled in stainless steel or dark glass containers, away from light, air and heat. Try to consume it while it is fresh — aging does not help it, but strips it of fragrance, taste and, above all, polyphenols so important for your well-being.
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FAQ
How is extra virgin olive oil produced?
It is the only oil produced solely by squeezing olives, without chemical solvents or other industrial intervention. It remains a genuine, natural product over the years, carrying every precious substance from the fruit straight into the oil.
How does oleic acid benefit heart health?
Oleic acid helps regulate cholesterol, lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol relative to HDL ("good") cholesterol. It prevents arterial lesions and reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, thrombosis and coronary heart disease in general.
What are the health benefits of polyphenols in olive oil?
Polyphenols are very powerful natural antioxidants able to protect fat in that unfavorable, watery environment. They protect the integrity of cell membranes, defend against the formation and development of many types of tumors, and seem to also counter memory loss and other cognitive decline linked to aging.
How should extra virgin olive oil be stored to keep it fresh?
It must always be bottled in stainless steel or dark glass containers, away from light, air and heat. Aging does not help the oil, but strips it of fragrance, taste and polyphenols.
