5 Reasons The Highest Polyphenol Count In Our Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Such Good News

Morocco Gold’s New Harvest Is Bursting With Polyphenols : But Why Should We Care Anyway?

^{Updated January 30th 2023}

SUMMARY

• The type and concentration of polyphenols present in extra virgin olive oil is influenced by the extraction / pressing process.
• The polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil exert potent anti-inflammatory actions.
• The polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil act as antioxidants that can fight off cell damage in the body and enhance the body’s immunity to fight off diseases.
• Polyphenol Oleuropein aglycone, present in Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil has been shown to protect against Alzheimer’s disease. 
• Two polyphenols from extra virgin olive oil, oleocanthal and ligstroside aglycone, have been shown to have potential anti-inflammatory effects against osteoarthritis.

CONTENTS

• Introduction
• There Is A Direct Link Between Polyphenol Count And Purity Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Have Anti-inflammatory Properties.
• Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Have Excellent Antioxidant Qualities.
• Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Help Guard Against Alzheimer’s Disease
• Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Help Treat Osteoarthritis.

Introduction

A new harvest is always exciting for the team at Morocco Gold.  It brings freshness, enriched flavours, and a sense of renewal to our team and happy customers alike.

This year, however, harvest time has also brought the good news that our Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a low acidity of 0.2% and the highest ever levels of polyphenols seen in our high-quality oil to date.  

But what exactly is all the fuss about Polyphenols and why is it important to choose an Extra Virgin Olive Oil with high levels of this compound?  There are many highly complex and scientific answers to this question but we will summarise our top five.

There Is A Direct Link Between Polyphenol Count And Purity Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The type and concentration of polyphenols present in extra virgin olive oil is influenced by the extraction / pressing process. To be extra virgin olive oil, the extraction needs to be done solely by mechanical means and at low temperatures. This has a direct effect on the resulting polyphenol content. There also must be no mixing or blending with other oils and no chemical additives. This is how the natural goodness and health enriching qualities of the extra virgin olive oil is preserved. At Morocco Gold, extraction of the oil is carried out at precisely controlled temperatures and nothing is added or taken away at the end of the process.

2. Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Have Anti-inflammatory Properties.

Extra Virgin olive oil contains numerous phenolic compounds that exert potent anti–inflammatory actions.  According to The National Library of Medicine the Oleocanthal contained in extra virgin oliveoil possesses similar anti-inflammatory properties to ibuprofen. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin, paracetamol, and ibuprofen, can be differentiated from steroids because they have far fewer secondary effects. NSAIDS have proven to have very beneficial effects in diseases that involve chronic inflammation processes, such as degenerative and neurodegenerative illnesses (Alzheimer).  The concentration of Oleocanthal (Ligstroside aglycone (p, HPEA-EA)) in Morocco Gold is 20 mg/kg

3. Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Have Excellent Antioxidant Qualities.

The polyphenols in Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil act as an antioxidant which means that these compounds minimize free radicals in the body. The antioxidants affect the human health in various way from improving body functions and digestions to skincare. The antioxidants can fight off cell damage in the body and enhance the body’s immunity to fight off diseases.

Polyphenols furnish the immune system, protect us from heart diseases and display anticancer activity by acting, essentially, as free radicals traps.

They can help prevent cellular damage from free radicals that occur with pollution, smoking, eating rancid foods, and as a by-product of normal metabolism. 

4. Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Help Guard Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Another polyphenol compound contained in Morocco Gold is called Oleuropein aglycone, which is derived from the de-glycosylation of oleuropein that exists in the leaves and stones of the olive fruit during the maturation period and is obtained during the pressing of the olives.  Oleuropein aglycone (or OA) is getting more and more global attention within the scientific and medical communities due to its biological properties including in anti-Alzheimer’s disease. 

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a high social impact disease that represents approximately 55–60% of all dementias and affects 6% of the elderly. AD is marked by cognitive degradation with a progressive impact on daily living.

Amyloid β (Aβ) deposits and oligomers are found in AD. Recently reported findings indicate that OA administration to mice can improve memory and behavioural performance by interfering with Aβ build-up. In addition, OA provides neuroprotection to cultured neuronal cells by preventing Aβ build-up, decreasing aggregate cytotoxicity, and counteracting related neuro-inflammation.

This suggests that OA administration could be regarded as a new way to prevent and cure Alzheimer’s disease.

5. Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Help Treat Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is currently, the most frequent cause of pain, deformity and dysfunction in the elderly. Two polyphenols from extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), oleocanthal (OLC) and ligstroside aglycone (LA), plus a chemically modified acetylated ligstroside aglycone (A-LA), and two marine polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were examined as potential anti-inflammatory agents for OA. cetylated ligstroside showed the most promising results for implementation in treating OA as it reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory genes such as inducible nitric oxide (iNOS), matrix metalloprotease-13 (MMP13) and interleukin-1β (IL1B) at both RNA and protein levels; decreased nitric oxide (NO) levels from cartilage explants and also reduced proteoglycan (PG) losses in human osteoarthritic cartilage explants and chondrocytes.

Recently, data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) have demonstrated that adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated not only with better quality of life but also, significantly, with a lower prevalence of OA. Given that the general population can be viewed as at risk in the development of OA in later life, an approach that relies on dietary modification is attractive in terms of risk / benefit and, potentially, an approach that is more likely to be implementable.

Indeed, as an alternative to traditional treatments, alternative modalities have come to the fore including the effects of polyphenols as non-invasive treatments, based on the evidence that epigenetic changes are triggered by dietary nutrients and contribute to the prevention of a number of diseases.

Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2041731420922701