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HEALTH BENEFITS OF USING OLIVE OIL IN COOKING

There are 2 main reasons why olive oil is the best fat to be used in people's diet:

  1. It has a high content of Mono-unsaturated fats (Oleic acid) and a low content of poly-unsaturated fats (linoleic and linolenic acid)
  2. It contains some natural anti-oxidants

Thanks to its high content of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, olive oil protects the human body against oxidation of LDL. Moreover, olive oil naturally contains efficient anti-oxidants, such as VITAMIN E and poliphenols compounds that help prevent oxidation of LDL.

When diets are rich in mono-unsaturated fats than poly-unsaturated fats, LDL is more resistant to oxidation, as it absorbs oleic acid instead of linoleic acid. Moreover, the composition of the fatty acids present in cellular membranes depends on the diet that the person follows. Diets rich in mono-unsaturates determine also a higher content of mono-unsaturated fats in cellular membrane, resulting in a higher resistance of cells to the effects of oxidation.

The high intake of Mono-unsaturated fats, particularly evident when following the Mediterranean diet and deriving especially from consumption of olive oil, has the double advantage of lowering cholesterol level in blood and of reducing LDL and cells risk of oxidation.

The antioxidant components in olive oil

Oxidation can be responsible for many cronical diseases, such as heart and coronary diseases and cancer. The natural antioxidants present in some food, such as in olive oil, help protect the body against oxidation of low density lipo-proteins. This has been the subject for many epidemiological studies which have confirmed the role played by antioxidants.

It has been proven that the process of oxidation of low density lipo-proteins have a crucial role in atherogenesys. The process of oxidation in these particles starts with the inner peroxidation of poly-unsaturated fats. This shows that the oxidation process of low density lipo-proteins depends basically on their fatty acids composition. In turn, their fatty acid composition is determined by the fatty acids the human body intakes through its diet: diets rich in mono-unsaturated fats for example render the lipo-proteins more resistant to the danger of oxidation than diets rich in poly-unsaturated fats, including linoleic acid. People's diet influences greatly the fatty acids composition of cellular membrane: a diet rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids determines a high content of mono-unsaturated fats in the cellular membrane thus making cells more resistant to oxidation and degradation.

Recent studies have showed that not only alpha-tocopherol but also phenols compounds can prevent oxidation in low density lipo-proteins and thus reduce the risk for atherosclerosis. A high intake of mono-unsaturated fatty acids through consumption of olive oil can have the double advantage of reducing cholesterol level in the blood reducing lipo-proteins and of preventing cellular oxidation.

Mediterranean diet and olive oil

Scientific studies have confirmed that the daily intake of energy as enshrined in the Mediterranean Diet (60% carbohydrates. 10% proteins, 30% lipids, of which 15% mono-unsaturated, 7-10% poly-unsaturated and 5-8% saturated) is the most adequate one. It helps reduce the risk of heart attack and cardio-vascular related diseases, of obesity thrombosis and colon cancer.
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The natural antioxidants present in some food, such as in olive oil, help protect the body against oxidation of low density lipo-proteins.
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Pure olive oil contains approximately 20% of extra virgin olive oil: this means that it contains some natural antioxidants and vitamins, unlike all the other seeds oils.
Why pure olive oil is the best oil for cooking
Cooking with olive oil helps improve quality of life and people's health. This is shown by many scientific studies. Here is a summary of the main reasons why pure olive oil is the healthiest and best cooking oil:
  		• pure olive oil is composed of 80% refined olive oil and 20% extra virgin olive oil about. Extra virgin oil contains a high percentage of aromatic components that determine its strong and fruity taste that make it the best oil for dressing food. Refined olive oil does not contain the aromatic components that are present in the extra virgin olive oil, thus being more light and delicate in taste. This is one of the reasons why pure olive oil is the best oil for cooking.
  		• Pure olive oil, when used for cooking and for frying, is much healthier than any other edible or seeds oil, for the following reasons:
    1. pure olive oil contains a high quantity of oleic acid which make it much more resistant to high temperature than any other oil. this means that pure olive oil does not alter its taste and its chemical composition even at high temperature, while many other oils do change and some of them become cancerogenous at high temperature, because they are rich in linoleic acid instead.
    2. pure olive oil contains approximately 20% of extra virgin olive oil: this means that it contains some natural antioxidants and vitamins, unlike all the other seeds oils.