Olijfolie als pijnstiller en ontstekingsremmer.*

Dat een mediterraan dieet met veel olijfolie gezond is, is al langer bekend. Wetenschappers hebben nu ook gevonden dat olijfolie uit eerste persing (extra virgine) een stof bevat die dezelfde eigenschappen heeft als de pijnstiller en ontstekingsremmer ibuprofen. Deze stof is oleocanthal en is aanwezig in alle extra virgine olijfoliën doch hoeveelheden kunnen door allerlei oorzaken verschillen. Omdat de prijs niets zegt over de hoeveelheid oleocanthal is proeven nog de beste oplossing. Nip even aan de olijfolie en hoe meer de keel geprikkeld wordt hoe hoger de hoeveelheid.

Extra-virgin olive oil mimics painkiller

Oil may help stave off cancer, as long as you stick to the good stuff.

Good news for lovers of extra-virgin olive oil: besides being delicious on salads, it also contains a compound that mimics the effects of ibuprofen. So a Mediterranean-style diet might give you the supposed long-term benefits of that drug, such as a reduced cancer risk.
A daily dose of 50 g or 4 tablespoons of olive oil confers the equivalent of a low-dose anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen for adult pain relief, say researchers led by Paul Breslin of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, who discovered the effect. So although it won't cure a headache, it may give you some of the long-term benefits of repeated ibuprofen use, including helping to ward off Alzheimer's.

The scientists were led to the discovery by the serendipitous observation that fresh extra-virgin olive oil irritates the back of the throat in a unique and unusual manner. "I had considerable experience swallowing and being stung in the throat by ibuprofen from previous studies on its sensory properties," explains Beauchamp. "So when I tasted newly-pressed olive oil while attending a meeting on molecular gastronomy in Sicily, I was startled to notice that the throat sensations were virtually identical."

Taking their lead from the cues provided by olive oil's throaty bite, the scientists systematically evaluated the sensory properties of an unnamed chemical compound thought to be responsible for the throat irritating property of premium olive oils. When results confirmed that the irritating intensity of a given extra-virgin olive oil was directly related to how much of the chemical it contained, the researchers named the compound oleocanthal (oleo=olive; canth=sting; al=aldehyde).

To rule out the possibility that any other compound was involved, chemists at Monell and Penn created a synthetic form of oleocanthal identical in all respects to that found naturally in olive oil, and showed that it produced exactly the same throat irritation. Co-author Amos Smith, PhD, explains, "Only by de novo synthesis could we be absolutely certain that the active ingredient was oleocanthal."

The sensory similarities between oleocanthal and ibuprofen led scientists at Monell and the University of the Sciences to investigate potential common pharmacological properties. Studies revealed that, like ibuprofen, oleocanthal inhibits activity of COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. Because inhibition of COX activity underlies the anti-inflammatory actions of ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the new findings suggest oleocanthal is a natural anti-inflammatory agent.

The compound, called oleocanthal, acts in the same way as ibuprofen to stifle components of a pain pathway called the prostaglandin system. This is in spite of the two chemicals' very different structures, the team reports in Nature.
The compound should be present in any extra-virgin oil, Breslin says. But concentrations will vary depending on a range of factors, such as the variety of olive, and the age of the olives at pressing.
So how do you know which olive oil will give you the biggest dose? Simple, just go for the authentic Mediterranean taste, says Breslin. "Most supermarket-style extra-virgin olive oils will be relatively low in this compound," he explains. "But there are inexpensive olive oils available that have high levels. I buy mine at a local Greek store that imports oils directly from Crete and other Greek locales."
Sting in the tale
If it's a long way to your nearest Greek deli, never fear. There's a simple rule of thumb to help you out: oleocanthal is also responsible for the throat-stinging sensation of a good extra-virgin oil. "The way to check is to sip the oil neat and see how strongly it stings the throat," Breslin recommends. "The greater the sting the greater the oleocanthal level."
Does the discovery help to explain the folklore that a Mediterranean diet is good for a healthy, long life? Probably, says Breslin. The long-term benefits of ibuprofen have only been demonstrated for doses that are much larger than the amount of oleocanthal provided by 4 tablespoons of oil a day. But Breslin suspects that smaller daily doses might have the same effect. (Aug. 2005)