Good News And Bad News About Olive Oil

First, the good news: almost all of the health benefits of olive oil come from the oil’s phenolic compounds, the same nutrients found in wine, tea, cocoa and many fruits and vegetables. And now the bad: the Washington Post reports that a recently published study by the Agricultural Research Service found that polyphenols were surprisingly low in most commercially available olive oils. The paper also reports that research conducted at the University of California at Davis Olive Center found that olive oil’s polyphenols don’t even meet international or U.S. Agriculture Department quality standards. Want olive oil with more polyphenols? Buy it fresh, the Post suggests, and use it soon. Studies show that as weeks go by after harvest, the polyphenol content and health benefits of the oil diminish. Read more in the Washington Post.