Oleocanthal: The Extra Virgin Olive Oil Polyphenol That May Help You Live Longer

Ever taken a sip of extra virgin olive oil and felt that peppery catch in your throat? That's oleocanthal at work. Our Accredited Practicing Dietitian Marnie Nitschke will explain why ... and how you'll live longer because of it.

Oleocanthal is the naturally occurring compound in Extra Virgin Olive Oil that produces a peppery and slight stinging sensation in the back of the throat. It’s also been found to have potent health benefits. And because you’re probably not a biochemist, here’s the science, condensed down to a tasty 5 minute read.

About Oleocanthal

Researchers have now amassed a large body of scientific evidence that olive oil (particularly Extra Virgin Olive Oil) is good for us.

These studies show that regular consumption of olive oil in a Mediterranean style diet is associated with lower rates of chronic disease and a longer lifespan¹.

Historically, it was thought that the benefits of olive oil were largely due to a high content of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) - which have favourable effects on our blood lipid profile. In more recent years, we’ve learnt about a diverse array of bioactive compounds in Extra Virgin Olive Oil – particularly those known as phenolic compounds.

Phenolic compounds are naturally occurring chemicals that can exert powerful health effects in a number of diverse ways. These include influences on our blood lipids, antimicrobial actions, protection against oxidative damage, and reduction in inflammatory markers ². This is where oleocanthal comes into the picture.

Oleocanthal: similar to ibuprofen

Oleocanthal was first identified in olive oil in the early ‘90s, and about a decade later, scientists confirmed oleocanthal as the compound responsible for the characteristic peppery taste of some Extra Virgin Olive Oils. To date, it has not been identified in any other vegetable oils.

Scientists saw a resemblance between the chemical structure of oleocanthal and the non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (which also, interestingly, causes an irritating sensation at the back of the throat).

Through a number of investigations, they were able to confirm that yes – oleocanthal does in fact exert potent anti-inflammatory properties in our body ^3,4.

Why are the anti-inflammatory properties of oleocanthal important?

Inflammation is a natural part of our immune system and healing. But chronically high inflammation levels have been shown to play a significant role in disease and aging. Chronic inflammation contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (like Alzheimers and dementia).

We are now understanding that the bioactive compounds like oleocanthal in Extra Virgin Olive Oil play a key part in the health benefits seen with a traditional Mediterranean diet.

Research has shown a massive 40% decrease in incidence of Alzheimers in populations consuming a Mediterranean style diet.

More targeted studies on a cellular level have demonstrated that oleocanthal has the ability to reduce damage and deterioration of neurones in our brain, and suppress cancer cells – particularly relating to bowel, breast, liver and melanoma ⁵.

A few more quick facts about oleocanthal

The oleocanthal content of Extra Virgin Olive Oils have been shown to vary considerably, and are influenced by a number of factors including:

• geographic differences and growing conditions
• harvesting time (extended picking date = lower oleocanthal concentration)
• processing techniques, such as method of oil extraction
• Oleocanthal content is relatively stable when exposed to heat, and the greater the oleocanthal concentration in the oil, the more it is protected from degradation

In a nutshell: (TLDR)

If you take a sip of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you should be able to taste Oleocanthal (it might even make you cough!). This compound has been shown to reduce inflammatory processes in the body, and likely plays a role in the health benefits seen with a typical Mediterranean style diet. Regular consumption of oleocanthal (via Extra Virgin Olive Oil) over the lifespan is a pretty nifty way to stack the odds in your favour, when it comes to prevention of chronic disease.

For maximum oleocanthal content, look for high quality, locally grown Extra Virgin Olive Oils. Early harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oils have been shown to have greater concentrations of oleocanthal. So if you have access to early harvest varieties, they make a great choice.

References

1. Marta Guasch-Ferré et al. Consumption of Olive Oil and Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality Among U.S. Adults, Journal of the American College of Cardiology,Volume 79, Issue 2, 2022.
2. González-Burgos E, Gómez-Serranillos MP. Effect of Phenolic Compounds on Human Health.Nutrients. 2021; 13(11):3922. p 101-112.
3. Beauchamp G, Keast R, Morel D, et al. Ibuprofen-like activity in extra virgin olive oil. Nature. 2005. 437;45-6.
4. Cicerale, Sara and Keast, Russsell S. J. 2010, Oleocanthal, a natural anti-Inflammatory compound in extra virgin olive oil, Anti-inflammatory amp; anti-allergy agents in medicinal chemistry, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 94-100
5. Pang K-L, Chin K-Y. The Biological Activities of Oleocanthal from a Molecular Perspective. Nutrients. 2018; 10(5):570.
6. Karkoula et al. Direct measurement of oleocanthal and oleacein levels in olive oil by quantitative (1)H NMR. Establishment of a new index for the characterization of extra virgin olive oils. J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Nov 28;60(47):11696-703.