Chemical composition of olive oil – an essential component of the Mediterranean diet and its impact on human health

Authors

  • Beata Cizmarova Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Tr. SNP 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
  • Anna Birkova Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Tr. SNP 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
  • Beata Hubkova Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Tr. SNP 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31989/ffs.v2i6.940

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet is known for its many health benefits, including the low prevalence of cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Olive oil is considered an essential component of the Mediterranean diet. The consumption of olive oil is associated with many beneficial effects on the human body, most of which are attributed to its phenol content, which varies between cultivars due to different processing and extraction procedures, with only 0.3-1.5% of phenols being transferred to the oil from the olive fruit. Many studies suggest that olive oil phenolic compounds have a protective role in preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus type 2, metabolic syndrome, obesity, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, recent epidemiological research has shown that regular olive oil consumption is associated with increased longevity.

 

Keywords: olive oil, phenols, health benefits

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Published

2022-06-17

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 6 (2022): June 2022

Section

Review Articles

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