Olive oil is known as one of the most important sources of monounsaturated fatty acids, a type of fat that has been shown to improve blood cholesterol levels. It was thought that olive oil’s protective properties were mainly due to the presence of this type of fat. However, new research shows that its high levels of various antioxidants may be just as important.
The results of this research came from the EurOlive study, which involved researchers from universities in five European countries.
For the study, researchers recruited 200 healthy men and randomly assigned them to one of three groups to consume 25 milliliters of olive oil daily with three different levels of polyphenols: [a] refined olive oil with a low polyphenol content, [b] regular olive oil with a medium polyphenol content, and [c] extra virgin olive oil with a high polyphenol content. Polyphenols are antioxidants that occur naturally in plants and have protective properties against oxidative damage in the body. The polyphenol content of olive oil can vary depending on a number of factors, including the ripeness of the olives and how the oil is produced.
The results of that study clearly showed that consuming extra virgin olive oil increased levels of so-called antibodies the most. These antibodies, called anti-oxLDL, in turn lower oxidized LDL cholesterol (oxLDL), which is a positive effect.
This is not the first time that the polyphenols in olive oil have been shown to have a protective effect against oxidative damage. However, there have been uncertainties about whether actual doses of olive oil can produce this effect [2] .
In this study, the researchers had the subjects consume about two tablespoons of olive oil per day. That converts to about 30 milliliters, a considerable amount for non-Mediterranean countries.
Greeks, who have the highest per capita olive oil intake in the world, consume about 70 ml per day, while Spaniards and Italians consume about 35 ml daily. In Northwestern Europe, an average of only 2.5 milliliters per person per day is consumed. For the Dutch consumer, there is still a great health gain to be achieved. Perhaps you should replace your daily (and often useless ) vitamin pill with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. That has more effect.
Incidentally, sunflower oil does not protect against this oxidation of LDL cholesterol [3] .
If you then also use Yakelos organic extra virgin olive oil, you are also doing something good for the local population and the environment.
[1] Olga Castañer et al: The effect of olive oil polyphenols on antibodies against oxidized LDL. A randomized clinical trial in Clinical Nutrition – 2011.
[2] Covas et al: EUROLIVE Study group. The effect of polyphenols in olive oil on heart disease risk factors: a randomized trial in Annals of Internal Medicine – 2006.
[3] Aguilera et al: Sunflower oil does not protect against LDL oxidation as virgin olive oil does in patients with peripheral cardiovascular disease in Clinical Nutrition - 2004.
