Extra virgin olive oil is a unique dietary fat (lipid) in the sense that it is not extracted from seeds by means of solvents. Rather, it is obtained from whole olive fruit by using a cold-press technique which does not alter the chemical nature of the fruit or that of the resulting oil.
A most abundant compound in the olive is oleuropein. With the progression of blooming and maturation, oleuropein yields several compounds (hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein aglycone, and ligstroside) that generate the full fruity taste of olive oil.
These special compounds are virtually absent in refined oils often labeled olive oil, which is extracted by means of solvents and alkalinized with chemicals to reduce the excessive acidity. Additionally, the vitamin E (tocopherol) content of olive oil is ten times lower than that of virgin olive oil because of the lack of extraction of olive seeds, where most of the tocopherols are located.
During the past years, the biological activities of olive oil phenolics: oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, have been thoroughly researched. These studies indicate that olive oil phenolics are potent free radical scavengers, inhibit chemically induced LDL cholesterol oxidation, inhibit platelet aggregation and eicosanoid production by activated human leukocytes, have antithrombotic activity, and potentiate the macrophagic response to endotoxin challenge by increasing their production of nitric oxide. These heart healthy benefits are related in the next sections.
In summary, extra virgin olive oil as a principal source of dietary fat provides intake of bioactive compounds with cardioprotective effects.
Comments