It is well known by all that olive oil is, in addition to one of the symbols of culture -y Spanish gastronomy, a product with the most special characteristics. And not only when it comes to flavor o texture when consuming it. The benefits of "liquid gold" go much further. Among the most outstanding benefits of this product is that it plays an important role in health and is a known ally against certain diseases -as we will see later-. And against the one we care most about now? A rehearsal of University Hospital of Jaén has shown that olive polyphenols are capable of absorbing the most serious stages of the virus. So the effectiveness of olive oil against coronavirus could be one more interesting contribution of this product.
Olive oil as a food supplement
The Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Unit of the Hospital Universitario de Jaén has verified that the olive oil may be a beneficial supplement for the treatment of coronavirus. In fact, the clinical trial to check the efficacy of the food supplement -which is based on the polyphenols of the olive-. Alyvium® is the name that the drug that has resulted from the study has received Coexistence. The question that arises around it is whether the evolution of the virus can be prevented. At the moment, it has already been proven that it exercises as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
“We think that the administration of the nutritional supplement may be beneficial for COVID patients which are characterized by having a high production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as thrombosis problems ”, said Sergio Granados, doctor in Pharmacy and coordinator of the study, for El País. Once again, the olive oil proves to have beneficial properties to treat certain pains and illnesses. It is not referred to as 'liquid gold' for nothing. It has been in the spotlight of researchers and clinical trials for years, and new uses for the product are being discovered every time.
What are the benefits of olive oil?
Beyond being considered the basis of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil has proven to be effective in cardiovascular disease prevention, among other. In the end, the first step to strong health is to maintain a balanced and healthy diet. In that sense, olive oil is a basic product in this diet.
In fact, this is what scientific studies show; one of the most prominent the study PREDIMED. A group of people were fed the Mediterranean diet, including olive oil, and another ate the same food but without the oil. The results showed that in the first group there was a 30% reduction in risk of suffering a cardiovascular event. Very revealing!
El AOVE can also be beneficial in certain cases of diabetes. This is stated by the Spanish Diabetes Federation (FEDE): “The extra virgin olive oil it would help to eliminate, in the long term, the medication in some people with type 2 diabetes ”. This is because some components of the product can be key to slowing down the disease.
Nutri-Score qualification: does it harm the image of the oil?
Towards 2018, a novel food labeling system that has raised some controversy. The main objective of this system is to provide nutritional information on the products; It is a kind of traffic light in which the letter A -green- is the most complete or healthy, and the letter E -red- is the most scarce or harmful. The question comes when this labeling places sugar-free soft drinks in the B, and at the olive oil in the D.
Food is rated based on factors such as Calories o fat. In this sense, as the nutrition expert, Beatriz Robles, told Newtral, "obviously olive oil, even if it is extra virgin, is going to have a bad score with regard to energy or fats because it contributes a lot". In any case, the professional agrees with other scientists that "an approved scraping in a food such as olive oil it does not correspond at all with the nutritional reality of that food ".
In addition to that characteristic flavor and with Mediterranean identity, this product it is much more than a world-renowned gastronomic product. It is a great ally for scientists in their research projects. and in clinical trials to offer conclusions on whether it can help health. Without a doubt, liquid gold has a lot to offer and perhaps the next thing is that beneficial aspect of the olive oil against coronavirus. So now you know, bet on Spanish EVOO!
