Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Why EVOO is a Superfood
"Superfood" gets attached to a lot of things. Extra virgin olive oil is one of the few that has decades of research behind the label. Here is what is actually in a good bottle, why it matters, and how to make sure you get the benefit rather than just the price tag.
What's in extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin is the highest grade of olive oil: juice pressed from fresh olives without heat, solvents or refining. Because nothing is stripped out, the oil keeps three things that refined oils lose.
- Oleic acid. Around three-quarters of the fat in olive oil is monounsaturated oleic acid, the fat at the heart of the Mediterranean diet and the reason olive oil is generally recommended over butter and most seed oils for everyday use.
- Polyphenols. Naturally occurring antioxidant compounds — hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein, oleocanthal — that protect the oil from going rancid and are the subject of most of the research into olive oil and health. They are also what you taste: the slight bitterness and the peppery catch in the throat of a fresh, robust oil come from polyphenols.
- Vitamin E and other minor compounds. Small amounts, but they contribute to the oil's stability and its nutritional profile.
What the research suggests
Large observational studies and controlled trials of Mediterranean-style diets have consistently associated regular olive oil consumption with better cardiovascular outcomes, and much of that effect is attributed to the combination of oleic acid and polyphenols. Polyphenols in particular have been studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and the European Food Safety Authority recognises a specific claim for olive oils that contain at least 250 mg/kg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives: that the polyphenols contribute to protecting blood lipids from oxidative stress. Research into other areas, such as brain health and blood sugar regulation, is promising but still developing.
None of this makes olive oil a medicine. What it does mean is that, of the fats you cook with every day, extra virgin olive oil is one of the very few with evidence in its favour rather than against it.
Why polyphenol content varies so much
Two bottles labelled "extra virgin" can differ enormously in polyphenol content. Olive variety, how early the olives are picked, how quickly they are pressed, and how the oil is stored all matter. A mass-market oil may test well under 100 mg/kg; a carefully made early-harvest oil can exceed 500 mg/kg. That range is why we publish our test results. An independent HPLC analysis of our extra virgin olive oil measured 260 mg/kg of total biophenols — you can read the full report on our lab analysis and certificates page.
How to get the most out of it
- Buy fresh and buy dark. Polyphenols decline with time, light and heat. Look for a recent harvest, choose dark glass or a tin, and buy a size you will finish within a few months.
- Store it properly. A cool, dark cupboard with the cap tightly closed. Never next to the stove.
- Use it raw as well as for cooking. Extra virgin olive oil is perfectly stable for sautéing and roasting, but drizzling it on finished food is where you taste — and keep — the most of what makes it special.
- Trust taste. Bitterness and pepperiness are signs of polyphenols, not defects. A completely flat oil is usually an old or refined one.
Choosing between our two oils
Our certified organic extra virgin olive oil is the robust, high-polyphenol style — fruity with a peppery finish — and comes in 500 ml, 1 L and a 3 L tin. Our Naturally Smooth oil is a milder, conventionally grown extra virgin for people who prefer a gentler taste for everyday cooking and baking. If you are not sure which you prefer, the Organic + Smooth bundle is the easy way to find out. Both are cold-pressed in Tunisia and shipped from Canada.