Although hydroxytyrosol is considered the most potent olive oil antioxidant, which encouraged the investigations on its cardioprotective potential, oleocanthal is described as the major Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) phenolic compound with functional and health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, chemotherapeutic, neuroprotective, and antirheumatic. The oleocanthal concentration in EVOO can vary from as little as 0.2 mg/kg […]

Nutrigenomics is defined as the study of food effects on gene expression. Starting from a deep dissection of the interaction between nutrients and the genome at molecular level, nutrigenomics shows the potential impact of a dietary pattern or food items on human health. Traditionally, the beneficial properties of extra-virgin olive oil have been attributed to […]

The European HELENA study is an international study carried out between 2006-2007 with more than 3,500 adolescents from 9 European countries. During the study, blood samples were collected from more than 1,000 participants. A recent study1 in 562 adolescents (13-17 years old) from the HELENA study analyzed the association between adherence to the traditional Mediterranean […]

The anti-inflammatory effect of olive oil is one more virtue to add to this great food after a recent systematic review1 of the clinical trials published in the last 8 years showed that olive oil helps to reduce the levels of certain inflammatory markers. More specifically, the meta-analysis of seven clinical trials included in that […]