Olive oil

Olive oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea), a species cultivated for thousands of years throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is notably rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid from the omega-9 family, as well as in phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties. Its polyphenols, including hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein, contribute to the protection of cells against oxidative stress. Oleic acid, for its part, helps maintain normal blood cholesterol levels when it replaces saturated fatty acids in the diet. These characteristics make olive oil a reference fat in nutritional recommendations. In the context of supplementation, concentrated olive oil extracts allow standardised polyphenol intakes to be achieved, regardless of variations related to the quality or cooking of dietary olive oil. This is of interest for people looking to complement a diet that is insufficiently supplied with unsaturated fatty acids or plant-based antioxidants.