Olive Oil: True Blends Good for the Heart

The most valuable of the monounsaturated oils seems to be olive oil. There are other monounsaturated oils such as canola oil, but these may not have the same beneficial effect as olive oil. As an aside, this is an active area of study and all the results are not in.

There is evidence however that olive oil, especially the virgin and extra-virgin blends, ARE heart-healthy and substitution of olive oil on a gram for gram basis with saturated fats is heart-protective. It also has many other effects, especially the virgin and extra-virgin blends. These positive effects may not be due to the oil per se but to other antioxidant substances, termed polyphenols and a newly discovered compound Oleocanthal. It is the presence of these antioxidants that may give olive oil extra benefits not seen in other monounsaturated oils such as canola oil.

It is thought that olive oil along with red wine goes a long way to explaining the benefits of the Mediterranean diet or French paradox. As a caveat, there are some respectable investigators who deny the existence of the seeming benefit. Assuming it does exist, another factor is the way the people of the Mediterranean eat - a slow family affair with as much socializing as eating, a similar pattern to the Okinawan diet (that is slowly disappearing as the young are adopting the fast life style of Japan).

A caveat: In Europe there has been a plague of scandals with expensive olive oil diluted with inexpensive hazelnut oil. Apparently, recent investigations have proven Olive oils sold in North American to be genuine. However, there is no reliability as to source of the oil - even with the best of brands. If Turkish, Greek and Spanish olive oil is mixed in Italy it is by definition Italian olive oil. This is probably a trivial issue, but be sure to taste your oil once bought - there are distinctive qualities listed below it should have. And expensive specialty oils can be purchased at specialty shops and on the net. Buono appetito!