VIRGIN OLIVE OIL AND HEART HEALTH
Since 2004, olive oil has been considered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a healthy food, due to its high composition of monounsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid.
For decades, research on the effects of olive oil has focused primarily on cardiovascular disease. In fact, the study of "seven countries study (Ancel Keys 1984)" concluded that the consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and olive oil was a key factor in cardiovascular protection found in Mediterranean countries.
Every year hundreds of clinical studies are published that reveal the properties of olive oil and especially virgin oil and the phenolic compounds present in them.
The American Health Association has established that consuming a diet moderately rich in MUFA (15% of calories ingested) and relatively low in polyunsaturated PUFA (8% of caloric intake) benefits cardiovascular health. Today, there is no doubt about the important effects of the different types of fat ingested through the diet, particularly the benefits of olive oil and the significant influence of these fats in various aspects of health. For example, it is known that saturated fatty acids raise low-density lipoproteins (LDL or bad cholesterol) in the blood, while oleic acid raises high-density ones and lowers said LDL cholesterol, responsible for obstructions and therefore for various cardiovascular diseases.
Changes in biochemical parameters also take place at the level of the cell membrane, such as the mitochondria.
Olive oil in particular has been shown to generate membranes that are more resistant to lipid peroxidation and more functional compared to those generated by polyunsaturated fatty acid fat sources such as sunflower oil. Ramirez-Tortosa et al. found that oleic acid was not the only component responsible for the antioxidant effect of olive oil in relation to the formation of atheroma plaques. Other studies have emphasized the positive influence of the minor components of virgin olive oil.
In fact, refined olive oil (phenol-free) has been reported to lack the antioxidant effects present in virgin olive oil. These authors later suggested that the phenolic fraction of olive oil improves considerably (the phenolic fraction considerably improves the protection against peroxidation of LDL lipoproteins by increasing the antioxidant capacity).
Through the arteries, lipids (fats) are transported in the form of lipo-proteins to which cholesterol is bound (binds to triglycerides). When oxidized, they accumulate in the arteries and form plaques that travel through the bloodstream and can cause blockages.
Based on a large number of clinical studies, last 2012 the European Commission and the Food Safety Agency (EFSA) established that polyphenols in olive oil contribute to the protection of blood lipids against oxidative stress.
A number of clinical studies in humans have shown that the consumption of virgin olive oils protects LDL cholesterol from oxidation compared to refined olive oils, in which the polyphenols have been removed.
Refined olive oil (phenol-free) lacks the antioxidant effects present in virgin olive oil ("Elevated Circulating LDL phenols levels in men who consumed virgin rather than refined olive oil are associated to with less oxidation of plasma LDL" (Karina de la Torre-Carbot et al.)).
“Effects of different phenolic content in dietary olive oils on lipids and LDL oxidation” (“Jaume Marrugat et al.)
"Olive oils high in phenolic compounds modulate oxidative / antioxidative status in men" (Tanja Weinbrenner et al.).