Cooking with Olive Oil Destroys its Health Benefits

Before reading all the below details we would suggest the readers to eat olive or consume it in salad or such things but donot use Olive Oil for cooking purpose as the smoke it creates, is very harmful for an individual.

It is heard widely that cooking with Olive Oil is beneficial for health but actually cooking in olive oil destroys its health benefits and produces harmful chemicals to make your food poisonous. Olive oil has been heavily promoted as healthy oil but its not the fact.

• Olive oil is a fat obtained from the fruit of olive tree (Olea europaea), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean region.
• Olive oil is used in cosmetics, medicine, cooking and soaps.
• It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids
• It is the main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a low death rate from cardiovascular diseases compared to North Americans and Northern Europeans.
• Olive oil may be is one of the more healthful oils, but it is still a fat high in calories and should be used in moderation.
• Olive oil is 'better' than other oils as a part of healthy (Mediterranean) diet, but not that it in itself is good for health.

Cooking with Olive Oil:

The issue of cooking with olive oil is that healthy phenols found in olive oil are compromised by heat and beyond its Smoke Point temperature, nasty chemicals may be produced that will end up in food. Apart from these concerns, overheating olive oil can impart a burnt flavor to your food and remove some of the taste as well. It is a fact that vegetable oils and olive oil containing high amount of MUFAs have relatively low smoke points and cannot withstand large amount of heat.
Some Researchers opinion about olive oil is:

"Olive oil is primarily a monounsaturated fat. This means that it has one double bond in its fatty acid structure. The problem with olive oil is its overabundance of oleic acid (70%), which creates an imbalance on the cellular level that can inhibit prostaglandin production, which can increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease."

 

It is a fact that there are some concerns about the high amount of oleic acid present in olive oil, but the consumption of oleate in olive oil has been associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer. Some studies have shown the olive-oil-rich Mediterranean diet cuts breast cancer.

According to Fox News:

"The smoke point of extra-virgin olive oil (high quality olive oil with reduced oleic acid content) is about 375 to 405 degrees, and if you go past it, as you surely will when using one of these high-temperature cooking techniques, you'll produce all sorts of nasty chemicals that will end up in your food. Some common examples include peroxides, aldehydes, ketones, and hydroperoxides, all of which are toxic. But you don't just end up producing bad substances; you end up destroying the good ones, too. At 356 degrees, antioxidants start to say goodbye — tocopherols are the first to go."
So apart from the quality of olive oil that is to be used in moderation with healthy diet, the cooking temperature holds the key to avoid damage of healthy compounds in the oil and prevent the production of any unwanted nasty chemicals. Owing to these concerns, it is suggested to use refined olive oil (having much higher smoke point) when cooking at high temperature. It is marketed as "extra-light," "light tasting," or even just "olive oil". The refined olive oil has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%). While the smoke point of olive oil is considered to be around 325°F - 375°F, that of refined olive oil is around 468°F (242°C). The extra-virgin olive oil is suggested for finishing a dish, not for cooking it.

Courtesy: Hoax or Fact