Learn how to recognize extra virgin olive oil and why it reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer | Campinas and the region

In addition to aroma, seasoning in a salad or helping to cook a gastronomic dish, Hey Olive oil is a classic product It has been deeply studied and can bring relevant health benefits. The food that It is a vegetable oil extracted from olives, the fruit of the olive treeis among the most common in contemporary cuisine and has categories that are directly related to how beneficial it is to the body.

The popular extra virgin olive oil, the highest category of oil, is the “perfect universe” of olive oil quality and is the type that provides the most benefits. But, after all, is it possible to recognize an extra virgin at home? like? What exactly are its positive points for health and what diseases can be avoided? Find out these answers belowitem by item, through an interview with a researcher from Unicamp, in Campinas (SP), who focused on the topic.

On this Friday (27) Globo correspondent Offers a special program on products made within Brazil, including olive oil. The content is co-produced in partnership with EPTVAffiliated to Globo TV.

In this report you will see:

What is extra virgin olive oil? 🌿

According to Unicamp’s Nutrition Genetics Laboratory Coordinator, Dennis Esper-Cintra, olive oil is only extra virgin if it has a set of characteristics called… Phenolic compoundsIt contains several different substances, each of which has a specific effect on the body.

In addition to phenolic compounds, another property of olive oil – in this case, not just extra virgin – is oleic acid, a fat found in abundance in olive oil that also promotes a series of benefits for the body, such as the prevention of various disorders.

How is olive oil beneficial for your health? 🧬

Extra virgin olive oil, through the action of phenolic compounds, reduces the risks of, for example, heart disease and cancer, due to Antioxidant action.

“What I would like to highlight are antioxidants, and these antioxidants can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or certain types of cancer, for example. I’m not saying they cure existing cancer or heart disease, but they reduce the chance of developing “With cancer.” “Its evolution is very important,” the researcher said.

In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer, the professor stated that olive oil also contributes to preserving memory. He added: “I’m not saying that you will improve your memory, but as you age, the nature of this property is to reduce memory a little. Olive oil contains compounds and these compounds can help maintain that for a longer period.” Sintra.

Finally, there is also the possibility of maintaining cholesterol levels, This also occurs in virgin olive oil.

“Virgin olive oil does not contain phenolic compounds, but oleic acid is very good as well. It is a stable fat, and it reduces the risk of dyslipidemia, which is high cholesterol. It is a great tool that nutritional people should use in treating dyslipidemia,” he explained. “It balances Levels.

How to identify extra virgin olive oil? 🔎

In addition to the chemical properties that characterize extra virgin olive oil due to the presence of phenolic compounds in it, the product can also be identified by… Sensory experiences This can be done indoors.

“At home, for example, as a training base, we will perceive olive oil as extra virgin because of certain sensory notes, for example, spiciness and bitterness, which confirm this to us. This is not a chemical claim, but it is a home perception that you are encountering a product,” said the professor. High quality”.

Caution ⛔ Can olive oil be heated? 🔥

According to Dennis Esper Sintra, the first olive pressing for extra virgin olive oil, in order to maintain its properties, must be done cold because heat destroys the phenolic compounds. Therefore, when olive oil is used at too high a temperature, the compounds are lost, and thus the health benefits disappear.

“The scientific literature has shown us this for a long time, which is that above 80 degrees, phenolic compounds are lost. Does this make olive oil bad? Not at all, but we will lose the benefits of phenolic compounds. So, the advice is: in cooking you need to High temperature, it is interesting to use virgin olive oil, otherwise we will end up wasting money. Too high temperature causes toxic substances to appear inside the oil. We call this as “ He concluded that acrolein is very harmful to the human body and is considered toxic.

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