Olive Oil & Health

Naturally Good

Olive oil is much more than a gourmet ingredient: it is a true ally for health and one of the pillars of the Mediterranean diet, renowned for its benefits on longevity and the prevention of numerous diseases.
Rich in antioxidants, unsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenols, it helps prevent cardiovascular diseases, strengthen the immune system, and support a balanced diet.
As producers, we do not manufacture medicine, but we observe and acknowledge daily that olive oil is a natural, simple, and precious ally in a balanced diet.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

and Nutritional Balance

Due to its composition and physicochemical properties, extra virgin olive oil proves to be a particularly interesting food from a nutritional standpoint.

Composition

Lipids 99%, including:

  • monounsaturated fatty acids: 55-80%
  • saturated fatty acids: 8-25%
  • polyunsaturated fatty acids: 4-22%

Vitamin E: 150 mg/kg
Polyphenols: 2.5 mg/kg
Beta-carotene: 0.5-10 mg/kg

Major and Minor Constituents

a true fruit juice

Resulting from the simple pressing of olives, a true fruit juice, virgin olive oil is mainly composed of a monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, which represents 65 to 80% of the fatty acids in olive oil. It is one of the fats richest in monounsaturated fatty acids.

Virgin olive oil also contains other components, present in small quantities but whose role is very important, particularly vitamin E and polyphenols. Polyphenols are rare substances found mainly in green vegetables and fruits and have an antioxidant action.

Virgin Olive Oil

and Cardiovascular Diseases

Due to its composition rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and minor compounds, including certain antioxidants (vitamin E, polyphenols…), olive oil, when consumed as a substitute for animal fats rich in saturated fatty acids, helps reduce saturated fatty acid intake and would contribute to decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Oleic acid (a monounsaturated fatty acid) would help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol while increasing “good” HDL cholesterol. The antioxidants in olive oil further strengthen HDL’s resistance to oxidation and would thus further reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The Mediterranean Diet

a true fruit juice

Extra virgin olive oil should be consumed as part of a healthy and balanced diet, such as the Mediterranean diet. Renowned for its nutritional virtues, it is based on the daily consumption of fresh and dried fruits and vegetables supplemented with aromatic herbs and condiments, bread and cereals, olives, dairy products, virgin olive oil, and wine in moderate quantities.

Source: Olive Oil at the Chefs’ School

Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are the predominant compounds in all fats. However, depending on their source (olive, sunflower, peanut…), the nature of fatty acids varies from one oil to another.

Saturated Fatty Acids
They play an important role as an energy provider, but excessive consumption increases overall blood cholesterol levels, which can contribute to increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
They are essential and indispensable because the body cannot do without them and cannot produce them.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
They are either neutral and generally have no effect on blood cholesterol levels, or they induce a decrease in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) but not HDL-cholesterol (“good cholesterol,” which would tend to increase). As such, it is particularly beneficial to consume them as a substitute for saturated fatty acids.

Good to know
According to nutritional recommendations, 30 to 35% of the energy provided by food should come from lipids.
To meet these recommendations, an adult should consume an average of 65 to 80 g of lipids daily through all possible sources of lipids in their diet (intrinsic fats in foods, oils and butter added to foods…).

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