Doctors and philosophers have exalted the profound health benefits of olive oil as far back as the 7th century B.C., knowledge that only today has been "rediscovered" as modern nutritional science. What gave the ancient Greeks and Romans the vitality to build the most advanced civilizations in the world we attribute today to the unique concentrations of healthy fats and chemicals in all olive oils.
Studies have connected olive oil consumption with the following benefits:
- Reduced risk of heart disease
- Reduced blood pressure
- Growth inhibition in some cancers
- Reduced risk of diabetes
- Lessened severity of asthma and arthritis
- Lessened total body weight
There are two main factors contributing to the health benefits of olive oil: monounsaturated fats and polyphenol antioxidants.
Monounsaturated fats are an incredibly heart-healthy type of fatty acid common to seeds, nuts, avocados and of course olives. While these fats have shown to have a large number of nutritional advantages, monounsaturates are most valuable for their ability to lower LDL cholesterol (the "bad cholesterol") and possibly even raise HDL cholesterol (the "good cholesterol") in adults. The most common dietary monounsaturate, oleic acid, composes 70-80% of the fatty acids in extra virgin olive oil.
Polyphenol antioxidants, also present in olive oil in abundant quantities, are a type of molecule shown to prevent dangerous oxidative reactions within the human body. Incomplete molecules in the body, called free radicals, have the ability to alter our body cells in ways that can cause cancer, cardiovascular impairment and a number of degenerative diseases. Polyphenol antioxidants are able neutralize these free radicals without becoming dangerous themselves.
The important thing to remember is that not all olive oils are made alike. As a general rule of thumb, the less processed an oil is, the more of its polyphenol antioxidants it will retain, and therefore the healthier it will be. Because Phoenicia's Extra Virgin Olive Oil is cold pressed and unfiltered, it contains the maximum possible concentration of both monounsaturated fats and polyphenol antioxidants.
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