Olive Oil
Why olive oil is anti-inflammatory
Olive oil is anti-inflammatory, and the part that does the work is the part you can taste. Extra virgin catches at the back of the throat, a peppery sting that comes from a compound called oleocanthal. In the laboratory, oleocanthal blocks the same enzymes as ibuprofen.
That does not make a salad dressing a painkiller. When the trials on extra virgin olive oil were pooled, the inflammation markers in the blood barely moved, though insulin and blood sugar control improved. Those trials run for a few weeks in adults who are mostly healthy to begin with. Olive oil’s longer record comes from populations that have cooked with it for decades.
The peppery compounds live in the juice of the olive, and refining strips them out. Oil sold as light, pure or plain olive oil has lost them, and with them the reason it is on this list. Extra virgin keeps them, so it is the version the research is about.
Buy it in a dark bottle and check the label for a harvest date, because heat, light and time break those compounds down. Keep it away from the hob for the same reason. One or two tablespoons a day is the usual amount, with some of it raw over a salad or a finished dish.
Olive Oil on the AIP diet
Olive oil is allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol in every phase, elimination included. It comes from a fruit rather than a seed, which is exactly why it survives the cull that removes sunflower, sesame, canola and the other seed oils. In practice it becomes the default fat of an AIP kitchen alongside coconut oil and avocado oil, so it is worth spending a little more on a bottle you actually enjoy.
Benefits
- Contains oleocanthal, behind the peppery sting, which blocks the same enzymes as ibuprofen
- Improved insulin levels and how well the body handles blood sugar in pooled trials
- Rich in oleic acid and vitamin E, and stands up to a hot pan better than most oils
- Takes the place of butter and refined seed oils, so every spoonful replaces something worse
Watch out for
- In trials on mostly healthy adults, the inflammation markers did not change much
- Light, pure and refined olive oil have had the protective compounds stripped out
- Calorie dense at roughly 120 calories a tablespoon, so it adds up faster than people expect
- Heat, light and time destroy the phenols, so a clear bottle by the hob is the worst place
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Frequently asked
Is olive oil inflammatory?
No, olive oil is anti-inflammatory, and extra virgin is the version that earns the label. It carries oleocanthal, the compound responsible for the peppery catch in your throat, which acts on the same enzymes as ibuprofen. Refined olive oil loses most of it.
Is extra virgin olive oil really better than regular olive oil?
For inflammation, yes, and it is not a small difference. Extra virgin is pressed juice, so the phenols survive. Anything labelled light, pure or just olive oil has been refined, which strips those compounds out and leaves you with the fat and little else.
Can you cook with olive oil?
Yes. Its reputation for being too delicate for the pan is overstated: extra virgin is stable at normal frying and roasting temperatures, better than most seed oils. You will lose some of the phenols to the heat, which is a good reason to keep some of your daily oil raw, over a salad or a finished dish.
Is olive oil allowed on the AIP diet?
Yes, in every phase. AIP removes seed oils like sunflower and canola, and olive oil is pressed from a fruit, so it stays. It is one of the main cooking fats the protocol relies on.
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