The beneficial action of olive oil on health has always been known, for this reason in the tradition it was considered a substance halfway between the medicine and the food.
In the succession of the various historical eras, olive oil was used for body hygiene, cosmetics, muscle massages, the treatment of stomach ailments, to protect the skin from the sun’s rays… until a more recent historical period, 1991 when Professor Walter Willet developed the well-known “pyramid of the Mediterranean diet” (https://etd.adm.unipi.it/theses/available/etd-04042016-144309/unrestricted/TESI_.pdf ).
Foods, containing monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, were considered key components of this type of diet. Olive oil, having a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, the main oleic acid, has a great effectiveness in the protection of gastric mucosa, in facilitating the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and calcium. “For the action associated with its so-called “minor constituents”, it reduces the risk of certain autoimmune diseases and breast and colorectal cancers,”https://etd.adm.unipi.it/theses/available/etd-04042016-144309/unrestricted/TESI_.pdf
The beneficial action of olive oil on health is also positively reflected in biosynthesis processes and cholesterol metabolism (total, LDL, “bad” cholesterol and VLDL triglycerides), reducing or keeping levels low. On the contrary, it does not reduce HDL cholesterol levels or “good” cholesterol.
Essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and linolenic acid) are contained in optimal amounts for the body’s needs.
From the nutraceutical point of view, squalene (triterpenic hydrocarbon) which performs a protective action on light-related oxidation, as a result, is to be highlighted; tocoferles and tocotrienles that are precursors to vitamin E; carotenoids, precursors of vitamin A; phenols and polyphenols that give a bitter and spicy taste and perform an antioxidant function. Among the polyphenols is the Oleocantal which is identified as the constituent of the oil evo responsible for spiciness.
https://www.aziendaagricolaetruscankantharos.it/prodotto/olio-extravergine-di-oliva-dop-canino-3-l/
