This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Consumir aceites de oliva a diario tiene beneficios para la salud

It goes in in force the Regulation 432/2012 on statements authorised of healthy properties of the foods

Consume oils of olive daily has profits for the health

Editorial Interempresas24/12/2012

The past 14 December went in the vigour the European Regulation 432/2012 of 16 May by which establishes a list of statements authorised of healthy properties of the distinct foods of the relative to the reduction of the risk of illness and to the development and the health of the boys. A true milestone that, as it signals Interprofesional of the Oil of Oliva Spanish, treats to give answer to a question that with frequency pose the consumers: What there is for real when publicitan supposed healthy virtues of the foods?

From 14 December, so only will be able to publicitar these virtues and indicate them in the labeling if they appear in the listing of allegations that collects this Regulation. Properties that come backed by solid scientific evidences. All food that was out of the list, will not be able to do reference these properties in his commercial communications.

The European Commission has opted by not collecting in the Regulation concrete foods (except in very explained cases) to centre so only in the active compounds presents in them. Like this we find vitamins, mineral, sour grasos, etc.

Has not been distinct in the case of the oils of olive. The Regulation recognises until three allegations that will be able to use in the commercial communication of the product, in attention to the healthy virtues of three present elements in his composition:

1. The replacement of saturated fats by fats insaturadas in the diet contributes to keep levels of normal of blood cholesterol. The acid oleico is a fat insaturada. Like this it prays the allegation that has gone in in force. But to understand really which concrete effects has the acid oleico have resorted to an expert researcher in the matter, José López Miranda, chair in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Córdoba and director of the Unit of Clinical Gestión of Internal Medicine of the University Hospital Queen Sofia of Córdoba. “Today day there is a fact that is irrebatible and is that the human being has to consume the minimum quantity of possible saturated fats (present fundamentally in the foods of animal origin), the minimum. If we interpret well this allegation, what is saying us is: they substitute you the saturated fats by other fats insaturadas. Have to do it to base of replacement with rich oils in acid oleico. And one of them, the most important, is the olive oil. It reduces drastically the levels of cholesterol that is one of the main factors of risk that drive to the cardiovascular illness”.
The acid oleico is a fundamental component of the oils of olive (between 55% 83% of his composition of acids grasos).

2. The polifenoles of the olive oil contribute to the protection of the lipids of the blood in front of the damage oxidativo. Again, the doctor López Miranda throws us a hand to understand that there is behind the billed that collects the Regulation: “What comes to say this allegation is that the olive oil has some minoritary components, fundamentally compound phenolic, that protect to the particle LDL of the oxidation. It would not induce the tank of this particle of cholesterol in our arteries that is what does that it produce the arteriosclerosis, the sustrato on which develop all the cardiovascular illnesses”. The Regulation clears that the effects profits attain from a daily dose of 20 grams of oil of virgin olive. Nevertheless, it establishes that only the oils of olive that contain a minimum of 5 milligrammes of polifenoles by each 20 grams can do use of this allegation. It cost like example the most extended variety in the world, the picual, contains more than 9 milligrammes these natural antioxidants by each 20 grams.

3. The vitamin E contributes to the protection of the cells in front of the damage oxidativo. “Today day know that another of the natural compounds that is extraordinarily rich in vitamin E is the olive oil and therefore it also protects of the damage oxidativo, no only of the particles LDL (bad “cholesterol”) but also of the own cell protecting the deterioration of the endothelium, all what is the vascular wall. After all it is what goes to warn that it finish to develop the cardiovascular illness”. If we go back to take the example of the variety picual, find that it contains some 30 milligrammes by each 100 mililitrosde olive oil, above the Daily Quantity Recommended (CDR) of this vitamin, that is established in 10 milligrammes by 100 millilitres.

A long way

It does almost 60 years that the scientists coined the term Mediterranean Diet, a form to eat healthy always tied to the oils of olive. Along these six decades equipment of researchers of all the world have gone desentrañando the concrete effects on the health and the mechanisms that do them possible. “The model of Mediterranean feeding, rich in olive oil, first, improves the profile lipoproteico; second, reduces the figures of arterial tension; third, reduces the phenomenon of vascular inflammation; fourth, improves the dysfunction of our arteries, of our endothelium; fifth, reduces the oxidation; sixth, improves parameters of oxidation in general; it improves the risk to develop diabetes and metabolic syndrome, improves the metabolic illness. That is to say, has a wide fan of healthy effects, that do us that the doctors have to opt by him, as one of the healthiest models that exist”, affirms José López Miranda.