Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid of the Omega 9 type, very present in extra virgin olive oil .
If this phrase sounds like Chinese to you and the only thing you have understood is “olive oil”, I am going to try to explain it to you in a language that all of us mortals can understand.
Fatty acid?
Much of our diet is made up of fats. And although its name sounds very bad and leads us to think about unhealthy eating, fats are completely essential for our proper diet. As we will discuss later, there are fats that are very good for our body, others that are not so good, and others that are directly bad.
Broadly speaking, and so that we all understand each other, we can say that fatty acids are biomolecules found in fats, being their fundamental component. For this reason they will determine the nutritional characteristics of these fats.
In essence, a fat will be better or worse for our body depending largely on the type of fatty acids it contains.
Monounsaturated?
Fatty acids can be of different types. To summarize a lot, and simply taking into account the nutritional aspects, we can say that there are 4 types of fatty acids. Two of them are healthy and the other two are less healthy or even harmful to our health.
Healthy fats:
-Polyunsaturated fatty acids: In this group, Omega 3 fatty acids are the most valued for human health. It is not unusual that you have heard about them in multiple advertisements.
They are present in both foods of animal origin and foods of plant origin. We can find them in fish such as salmon or tuna, and in nuts such as walnuts. There are studies that claim that incorporating them into our diet on a regular basis helps reduce the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, as well as avoiding cognitive decline and diseases such as Alzheimer's, in addition to being helpful in controlling diabetes, since there are indications of that improve blood sugar level.
-Monounsaturated fatty acids: This group includes Omega 9 fatty acids, one of the most important being oleic acid , which constitutes the main component of olive oil.
There are multiple studies that have shown that they help keep bad cholesterol or LDL at low levels, so incorporating them into our diet can be of great help when it comes to preventing cardiovascular diseases. Olive oil is one of the foods richest in monounsaturated fatty acids.
Less healthy or harmful fats:
-Saturated fatty acids: They are mainly found in red meat, sausages and milk and its derivatives. There are studies that have associated high consumption of these products with an increase in bad LDL cholesterol, which is why moderate consumption has been recommended. They are not bad in themselves, and they are useful for our diet, but the recommendation is to control their consumption.
-Trans fatty acids: They are present in fast food and processed products, such as industrial pastries. There are studies that affirm that they can be harmful to health, considerably increasing the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, as well as other health problems. The recommendation is not to consume them or to do so only very sporadically.
Health benefits of oleic acid:
It has been established that the amount of fat that is recommended to be consumed for a healthy diet is between 30% and 35% of the total caloric value of the diet. For this reason, since one third of our diet should be made up of fats, the ideal is that as much as possible of that amount should be healthy fats, and this is where oleic acid plays an important role.
Helps prevent cardiovascular diseases
The greatest health benefit of oleic acid that has been studied to date is its ability to help us prevent cardiovascular diseases by incorporating it into our diet.
This function is due to its ability to reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or what we know as bad cholesterol. The best-known study in this regard, and which in turn is considered to be of greater scientific rigor, is the Predimed Project , which, after 5 years of study, determined that patients whose diet included oleic acid through olive oil olive, reduced the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases by more than 30%.
Another very important factor that can help us understand the benefits of oleic acid when it comes to preventing heart problems is its ability as a hypotensive agent, that is, as a reducer of our blood pressure. In 2008, a study carried out by the University of the Balearic Islands was published in which it was demonstrated that the consumption of oleic acid in the daily diet was related to a drop in blood pressure.
But beware! It is not enough to eat foods rich in oleic acid.
Although we know that the consumption of foods rich in oleic acid is beneficial for our body, its consumption will not have this effect on our health if we do not accompany it with a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Incorporating it into a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, with adequate consumption of meat and fish, and exercising regularly will be very helpful so that we can maintain good health and stay away from the doctor for a long time.
If you have come this far and you are very interested in this topic, I recommend that you read this other article where I go more in depth into the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil , you will also find the link to the research on the matter.
What other things does the oleic acid present in olive oil provide?
Olive oil, and especially Extra Virgin Olive Oil , is at the top of the foods with the highest oleic acid content . The amount of oleic acid it contains can range between 65% and 80% of all the fatty acids in olive oil. This proportion will depend largely on the type of olive used in the production of the oil.
The Picual variety is the one that offers oils richest in oleic acid, followed by Cornicabra, Manzanilla Cacereña and Hojiblanca.
Oleic acid makes olive oil more stable than other oils.
Oleic acid (Omega 9) is more stable to oxidation and high temperatures than other fats, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6 acids. For this reason, in fried foods, olive oil, being rich in oleic acid, is more stable than sunflower oil, which is mostly composed of linoleic acid (Omega 6).
Oxidation is the process that causes fats to become rancid, affecting not only their flavor and aroma, but also their nutritional value. Oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids are more prone to oxidation, especially when exposed to heat, light, and air. On the other hand, extra virgin olive oil, thanks to its high oleic acid content, maintains its quality for longer and resists these adverse conditions better.
The stability of extra virgin olive oil not only preserves its nutritional quality, but also contributes to healthier cooking. When used for frying, it does not break down as easily as other oils, resulting in less production of toxic substances.
I hope you have been interested in this article. If you have any questions or concerns you can always contact us at info@virgenextraencasa.com
