Olive Oild

Health Benefits
(Source: World's Healthiest Foods, George Mateljan)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is Rich in Phenols and Polyphenols

Among the extensive list of phytonutrients provided to us by extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), no categories of nutrients are more important than its phenols and polyphenols. The list below shows some of the key phenols and polyphenols present in EVOO, organized by their chemical categories:

• Simple Phenols

  • tyrosol

  • hydroxytyrosol

• Secoiridoids

  • oleuropein

  • decarboxymethyl oleuropein

• Flavones

  • apigenin

  • luteolin

• Hydroxycinnamic acids

  • caffeic acid

  • cinnamic acid

  • ferulic acid

  • coumaric acid

• Anthocyanidins

  • cyanidins

  • peonidins

• Flavonols

  • quercetin

  • kaempferol

• Flavonoid glycosides

  • rutin

• Lignans

  • pinoresinol

• Hydroxybenzoic acids

  • vanillic acid

  • syringic acid

Most of these phenols and polyphenols have been studied individually for their anti-inflammatory properties and have been shown to provide us with anti-inflammatory benefits, especially related to reduced inflammation in our cardiovascular system. The impressive health benefits of these phenols and polyphenols is what led to our decision at WHFoods to avoid cooking with EVOO in our recipes and in our meal plans. Many of these anti-inflammatory phenols and polyphenols have been the subject of individual heating studies and have found to be damaged in substantial amounts with the heating of EVOO.

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

As described in the paragraphs above, phenols and polyphenols serve as the core substances that give EVOO its unique anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers have determined that small amounts of EVOO, as low as one tablespoon per day, can lower inflammatory signaling in our body, including levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Interestingly, in Mediterranean-type diets that include daily intake of EVOO, not only is there less production of signaling molecules like TNF-alpha, but there is also less activity by the cell receptors for these pro-inflammatory molecules. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) have also been shown to decrease with daily intake of EVOO.

While we are risking a little bit of "science overdose" here, we want to underscore just how well-documented the anti-inflammatory properties of EVOO actually are. In addition to the studies above, scientists have shown that individuals who regularly consume EVOO have reduced activity of their pro-inflammatory cyclo-oxygenase 1 (COX-1) and cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) enzymes, as well as reduced levels of related molecules including thromboxane B2 and leukotriene B4. Two molecules that are known to increase during inflammatory disease processes—vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)—have also been shown to decrease in amount following intake of EVOO. These receptors may or may not be familiar to you, but they are the targets of many anti-inflammatory medications.

In this anti-inflammatory context, it is also worth noting that oxidative stress—a process that often parallels the process of chronic inflammation—is reduced by regular consumption of EVOO. One common blood marker used to monitor oxidative stress is the formation of substances called F2-isoprostanes, and studies have shown 10-15% lower levels of this blood marker following EVOO intake.

Importantly, the anti-inflammatory benefits of EVOO do not depend on large levels of intake. In most studies, these benefits become statistically significant with as little as one tablespoon of EVOO per day. The anti-inflammatory benefits of EVOO also appear to increase with daily intake above this level. We've seen studies that looked at benefits associated with EVOO intake all the way up to 4–5 tablespoons per day—the equivalent of 2–2.5 ounces and 476–595 calories. In our 7-Day Menu, we decided on an average daily EVOO amount of 2 tablespoons per day—enough to provide strong anti-inflammatory benefits, while still leaving daily calories at a very manageable level.

Cardiovascular Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

One place we don't want excessive ongoing inflammation is within our blood vessels. Our blood supply is just too important for maintaining the health of all our body systems, and it cannot effective support our body systems when compromised with ongoing inflammation. Given this relationship, it's not surprising to see cardiovascular benefits of EVOO rising to the top of the health benefits provided by this remarkable oil.

From a variety of different research perspectives—some of them described in the paragraphs above—we know that daily intake of EVOO in amounts as low as one tablespoon per day reduces inflammatory processes within our blood vessels. By reducing these processes, EVOO also reduces our risk of inflammation-related cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis.

Yet anti-inflammatory benefits are not the only cardiovascular benefits provided by EVOO. Two other broad types of heart-related benefits are well documented for this oil. The first type is lessened risk of forming unwanted blood clots. While blood clotting is a natural and healthy process required for the healing of wounds and prevention of excessive bleeding, clotting in the arteries can ultimately result in a heart attack or stroke. One risk factor for unwanted clotting in our arteries is excessive clumping together of our platelet blood cells. This clumping process is also called "aggregation." Regular incorporation of EVOO into a meal plan has been shown to lessen the risk of this excessive aggregation, and the reason that researchers refer to EVOO as an "anti-aggregatory" oil.

The other broad area of cardiovascular benefits involves improved levels of circulating fats in our bloodstream, as well as protection of those fats from oxygen-related damage. Decreased levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol following consumption of EVOO are findings in the majority of studies that have analyzed this relationship. Yet equally important, the cholesterol molecules that remain in our blood also appear to be better protected from oxygen-related damage (oxidation). Since fats and cholesterol belong to a broader technical category called "lipids," damage to the fats and cholesterol in our blood stream is typically referred to as "lipid peroxidation." And it is precisely this lipid peroxidation process that gets reduced through incorporation of EVOO into a meal plan. Other Health Benefits from Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Some of the most active and exciting areas of EVOO research involve other body systems that are no less important than our cardiovascular system. Regulation of blood sugar—especially after eating—is one system that has a definite friend in EVOO. One recent study on individuals diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) helps explain the ability of EVOO to improve blood sugar regulation. Like this name implies, IFG is a condition in which blood sugar levels are too high—even when no food is being eaten and digested. However, in this particular study, participants were given a little less than one tablespoon of EVOO along with a familiar lunch meal of pasta, salad, fruit, and a slice of ham. When the participants' insulin and blood sugar levels were measured at one hour and two hours after lunch, their blood sugar levels were found to be significantly lower due to this added EVOO. Researchers for this study went one step further, however. They looked at potential ways in which EVOO might have produced these desirable effects. What they found were higher levels of incretins—specifically glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) in the blood of participants after consuming EVOO. Since these incretins are molecules that stimulate more insulin production, raising their levels resulted in more insulin secretion and more removal of sugars from the blood. In short, these study participants achieved better insulin secretion and better regulation of blood sugar levels following their lunch meal through the addition of EVOO.

Decreased risk of bone fracture and better overall bone health is another area of increasing interest in EVOO research. One recent study compared the number of bone fractures in a group of 870 study participants over a period of seven years to see if intake of EVOO was associated with the number of reported bone fractures. When the study results were analyzed, the researchers divided this large group into three categories. In terms of their EVOO intake, the lowest third of the study participants averaged 38 grams of EVOO per day—approximately 3 tablespoons. The middle third averaged nearly 4 tablespoons (48 grams), and the top third averaged about 4.5 tablespoons (57 grams). Participants in the highest category of EVOO intake reported 51% fewer fractures than participants in the lowest category of EVOO intake. While all of these EVOO intake levels are fairly high, they nevertheless show a link between reduced risk of bone fracture and incorporation of EVOO into an ordinary meal plan. It's also worth noting that numerous animal studies have shown increased bone formation in rats and mice that were given EVOO in their feeding plan. This increased bone formation has also been specifically tied to the presence of two phenols—tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol—in EVOO.

Research studies are providing better and better documentation for the anti-cancer benefits of EVOO. Early studies in this area were largely limited to research using rats and mice or research on cell cultures in the lab. But more recent studies have looked at people incorporating EVOO into their everyday meal plan, and have found encouraging results. In survey studies, as few as 1–2 tablespoons of EVOO per day have been associated with decreased risk of breast, respiratory tract, and digestive tract cancers. In the case of the digestive tract, reduced risk seems more likely in the upper tract (stomach and small intestine) than in the lower digestive tract (large intestine, including the colon). Scientists have looked at several different mechanisms that might allow EVOO to provide these anti-cancer effects. One group of studies have focused on the secoiridoids, oleuropein and decarboxylmethyl oleuropein, and determined that these EVOO phytonutrients help shift some of our metabolic pathways in the direction of better stress resistance. In addition, the overall phenolic content of EVOO has been associated with a decreased ability of cancer cells to regenerate. At least some of this effect involves the ability of two phenols in EVOO—tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol—to block activity of an enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MM-2). The multiplication of cancer cells depends on an adequate supply of oxygen, and in order to obtain this supply of oxygen, cancer cell growth is often accompanied by the formation of new blood vessels (through a process called angiogenesis). Because the activity of MM-2 is needed to trigger this process of new blood vessel formation, substances that block MM-2 activity can also lessen the likelihood of new blood vessel formation. The tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol in EVOO may decrease the likelihood of cancer cell regeneration by interfering with angiogenesis and lowering the supply of oxygen that would otherwise be available for new blood vessel formation.

In animal studies, supplementation with EVOO has been shown to slow growth of a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori in the stomach. This slowed growth can be potentially important for lowering risk of stomach ulcer since overgrowth of this bacterium and too much clinging of this bacterium to the stomach wall can cause ulcer and other digestive problems.

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