ORA as medicine. Let's discuss the latest research showing how daily consumption of extra virgin olive oil may improve your health, starting from its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
While ORA is there to transform your gastronomic experience, it is also capable of transforming your health. Today we zoom into the role of ORA in regulating oxidation and inflammation processes in your body.
ORA - the Antioxidant
“Excessive oxidation increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, and general aging. The main type of fat in vegetable oils, polyunsaturated fat, encourages oxidation. In contrast, EVoo contains a rich amount of monounsaturated fat, preventing oxidation.” Prof. Mary Flynn, PhD, RD, LDN
ORA also contains a large number of phenols that act as antioxidants which lower oxidation. Research by Covas et al. reveals that Extra Virgin olive oil with a high phenolic content has potential to decrease LDL oxidation as well as DNA oxidation. Why is this important? Preventing the oxidation of LDL and DNA respectively lowers the risk of heart disease and prevents the initiation of cancers. Phenols are magical compounds and we will dedicate a full post to them later, exploring their role in the gut-brain axis.
Anti-inflammatory ORA
What is inflammation and why should we care? When high levels of inflammation are measured in the blood in conjunction with illnesses like heart disease or cancer, the disease has been more severe.
How can ORA reduce inflammation? Found in some extra virgin olive oil, oleocanthal is a natural anti-inflammatory agent and causes the “burning” sensation when we swallow olive oil. It functions like ibuprofen to limit the production of inflammatory compounds in the body. When studied in a test tube, it has also been shown to kill cancer cells selectively. As an experiment, try to drink a tablespoon of ORA to experience this sensation - this is oleocanthal at work.
To conclude today's #ORAasMedicine post, we invite you to upgrade your health with ORA. How? According to Professor Mary M. Flynn at Brown University, the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil start at about 2 tablespoons a day and many studies show that the benefits increase with higher intakes. Dive in!