Is olive oil the healthiest of all?

We tend to see olive oil, and especially the extra virgin or Aove, such as the cusp of the pyramid in terms of food fats. And not only in regard to his culinary excellence, but also in regard to his health impact. The big question is whether this pillar of the Mediterranean diet is up to this second aspect.

Fats are not a necessary evil of our gastronomy, they are one more macronutrient for our body, which requires a source of lipids as required carbohydrates, proteins and micronutrients. Cholesterol and triglycerides Examples of these compounds are whose presence in our body is necessary.

In addition to providing us with energy, lipids fulfill functions such as saving and transporting this or making messengers inside the cells, among others. On the other hand, problems can also cause us in some contexts, such as when cholesterol accumulates in our arteries.

Nutrition is a complex area: different types of lipids can help us in different contexts and each food product can contain different proportions of each of the compounds that usually form them. Besides, Measure the impact on health of the consumption of some foods requires long follow -ups of the health status of the people who consume them.

The notion that olive oil is superior to other sources of fat in regards to its impact on health is widespread. We owe this, at least in part, to the fact that this fat is one of the bases of the Mediterranean diet, considered one of the healthiest in the world.

However, this does not necessarily imply that it is a healthy option. Fortunately, we have tools to evaluate this, as developed a few years ago by the Institute of Fat (IG), Research Center assigned to the CSIC (Higher Council for Scientific Research).

After studying various culinary sources of fat, both animals and vegetables, the IG team developed an index (With values ​​between 0 and 100, being 100 the maximum score and with the 50 as a limit of the “approved”). To create the index, they explained at the time, those responsible for the study attended to the “dietary recommendations and health allegations of the main international organizations.”

The result? Of the four best evaluated fats, three were derived from the olive. Virgin olive oil was The best valuedthus taking the maximum score, 100. As explained by the team responsible for creating the index In an article In the magazine Nutrients“One of the factors that contribute to the positive score for AOV (virgin olive oil) was its high oleic acid content.”

The ranking of the fats

The next three positions resulted from a tie with a index of 86. The fats that achieved this note were common olive oil, olive pomace oil, and linen oil. Sunflower oil, another usual in our kitchens received an index of 82, which placed it in the immediately following position, together with the sesame oil.

In general, vegetable fats received evaluations superior to those of animal origin. Among them, the Fish fats They were better valued, and the beef tall and the lard (45), and the butter (32) the worst note received. Of course, these were not the worst valued: margarine received a worse index (14) and the list was closed by coconut butter, with a zero.

Other experts seem to coincide with this evaluation. An example is those of the Harvard Medicine School, which They point that olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and that many of its benefits could come from there. These fats, they explain, have only one double bond between carbon atoms, which implies that they have less hydrogen atoms than saturated fats. This structure is responsible for these oils to remain liquid at room temperature.

Howard E. Lewine, Chief Editor of Medicine of Harvard Health Publishing, pointed in a piece that “olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acidscontaining around 75% by volume. When we replace saturated fats, monounsaturated fats can reduce your ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. The benefits of olive oil have been attributed to its antioxidant and anti -inflammatory properties. ”

In Xataka |

Image | Umbe Ber