Fratelli Mezzapelle
"Fratelli Mezzapelle Unitis pro vita"
Extravergin olive oil
Discover the Benefits of Olive Oil
The olive, one of the oldest foods known to man is thought to have originated in Crete between five to seven thousand years ago and also regarded as a symbol of peace and wisdom by the Greeks. Many
Olive oil is a strong anti-inflammatory which its’ compounds include at least nine different categories of polyphenols and more than twenty-four anti-inflammatory nutrients. These compounds can suppress or switch off up to 100 inflammation causing genes. Three quarters of olive oil is fat in the form of oleic acid, a monounsaturated, omega-9 fat, very simply, it’s very good for you! It is also a good source of vitamin E and also provides a great amount of the anti-oxidant beta-carotenes.
As little as 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil a day has shown significant anti-inflammatory benefits. We all know about that extra virgin olive oil greatly benefits the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, improves cognitive function, increases bone formation, has many anti-cancer benefits as well as arthritic benefits which does include gout. Olive leaves and their extracts can also be used, having similar nutrients. In the Mediterranean region it is considered a folk remedy for arthritis and gout. When I do blood tests at my doctor’s office, he always tells me how my HDL is so high and that he rarely sees that in other patients of his, credit that to my diet which is high in olive oil.
Use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil in all of your cooking and baking instead of vegetable oils, butter or shortening. Oils that have been heated at high temperatures (causing the loss of nutrients) or processing are not only not good for your health but turn stale causing the oil to become rancid, destroying vitamin E in your body which helps control uric acid levels.
In this article from arthritistoday.org we see how a particular study has shown olive oil to reduce inflammation in arthritis patients.
“Further studies revealed that a compound in olive oil, called oleocanthal, prevents the production of pro-inflammatory COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, the same way NSAIDs work.
“By inhibiting these enzymes, inflammation and the increase in pain sensitivity associated with them is dampened,” says Paul Breslin, PhD, co-author of the study. Researchers found the intensity of the “throaty bite” in an oil is directly related to the amount of oleocanthal it contains. “Stronger-flavored oils from Tuscany or other regions that use the same olive varietal, have the highest oleocanthal levels,” says Breslin.
The olive oil inflammation study’s researchers say that 50 milliliters (ml), which is about 3-1/2 Tbsp., is equal to a 200-mg tablet of ibuprofen. Breslin points out that amount of oil has more than 400 calories – a lot if you add this healthy fat without giving up others. To avoid excess calories, use extra-virgin olive oil in lieu of other fats, such as butter.”[1]
Remember that Ibuprofen or aspirin can cause damage to your kidneys and your stomach, so olive oil is a healthier choice. Another study evaluated patients with rheumatoid arthritis, who were supplemented with olive oil and fish oil supplements. The study concluded that fish oil supplements alone didn’t improve the patients’ condition, that only if used in combination with olive oil did patients show a measurable improvement.
Phenolic composition
Olive oil contains phenolics such as esters of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, including oleocanthal and oleuropein, having acidic properties that give extra-virgin unprocessed olive oil its bitter and pungent taste. Olive oil is a source of at least 30 phenolic compounds. Elenolic acid is a component of olive oil and olive leaf extract. It can be considered as a marker for maturation of olives. Oleuropein, together with other closely related compounds such as 10-hydroxyoleuropein, ligstroside and 10-hydroxyligstroside, are tyrosol esters of elenolic acid.
Both hydroxytyrosol and its precursor oleuropein exist in the fruit at levels on the order of 100 times that of shelf extra virgin olive oil. Phenolics are considerably higher in freshcloudy olive oil than extra virgin that has been separated and aged.
Other phenolic constituents include aldehydic secoiridoids, flavonoids and lignans (acetoxypinoresinol, pinoresinol). The latter two compounds are only present in extra virgin oil.
Potential health effects: fat or polyphenol composition
Olive oil consumption is thought to affect cardiovascular health and blood cholesterol levels. Although epidemiological studies indicate that a higher proportion ofmonounsaturated fats in the diet may be linked with a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, a cause-and-effect relationship has not yet been established with sufficient scientific evidence.
Furthermore, in a comprehensive scientific review by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2011, cause-and-effect relationships have not been adequately established for consumption of olive oil and maintaining 1) normal blood LDL-cholesterol concentrations, 2) normal (fasting) blood concentrations of triglycerides, 3) normal blood HDL-cholesterol concentrations, and 4) normal blood glucose concentrations.
In the United States, producers of olive oil may place the following restricted health claim on product labels:
Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tbsp. (23 g) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.
This decision was announced November 1, 2004, by the Food and Drug Administration after application was made to the FDA by producers.[85] Similar labels are permitted for foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as walnuts and hemp seed.
It has been suggested that long-term consumption of small quantities of this compound from olive oil may be responsible in part for the low incidence of heart disease associated with a Mediterranean diet,[87] but this effect remains inadequately supported by clinical research.
