Since the
ancient times the health benefits of olive oil have been widely
recognized in Mediterranean countries.
Doctors like the Greek Hippocrates and Pedanius Dioscoride
were the first to highlight the beneficial effects of olive
oil. However, Galeno, who lived in the II century AD at Marco
Aurelius court, was the first to write a book on medical remedies,
in which olive oil was the main ingredient for many preparations.
In ancient and popular medicine, olive oil has always been
considered good to help relieve stomach disorders, to fight
pain of various origins, to relieve itching and inflammation
due to insect bytes etc.
 Modern
research has confirmed the therapeutic properties of olive
oil and, in particular, its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
effects.
Olives are rich in monounsaturated
fatty acids (oleic acid) and they are a good source of vitamin
E. Monounsaturated fatty acids are more stable than polyunsaturated
fats, and therefore their presence makes the cellular membranes
more stable themselves against the action of free radicals.
Vitamin E is also an antioxidant that helps neutralising free
radicals.
In addition, olives are rich in polyphenols
and flavonoids, phytonutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties.
Due to its antioxidant compounds, olives
and olive oil help the body protect itself against heart disease,
colon cancer and other types of cancer. Olive oil’s
anti-inflammatory effects help reduce the severity of symptoms
of diseases such as asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid
arthritis.
Olive oil is also very beneficial in
stomach disorders; it is very easy to digest and it stimulates
pancreatic secretions, thus helping to prevent gallstones.
Some recent research highlights further
the health benefits of olive oil. In 2005, Gary Beauchamp
and Paul Breslin from Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia,
found out that a chemical compound found in olive oil, which
they called oleocanthal, has the same anti-inflammatory effects
of Ibuprofen.
The greatest amount of health benefits
can be found in what goes under the commercial name of Extra
virgin olive oil. The reason being that extra virgin olive
oil comes from the first pressing of the olives and, most
importantly, there is no refined oil in it (refined oil has
been treated with chemicals, whereas unrefined oil is only
obtained by pressing olives and with no added physical-chemical
procedure. Obviously, refined oil loses a lot of nutrients
during the refining process).
Virgin oil does not contain refined oil, but comes from the
second pressing of olives.
The oil that you find in the shops under the name of olive
oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil. |
