Researchers from two Cypriot universities will this year launch clinical studies on the performance of Cypriot soccer players taking doses of high phenolic olive oil, hoping to add to a growing body of evidence on its health potential.
They will also measure the benefits to gut microbiome.
At an olive mill in the Larnaca district, Netien, who says that he has produced oil with the highest recorded polyphenol content, closely follows the extraction process. Churning produces a polyphenol called Oleocanthal, which he calls “the most natural, powerful anti-inflammatory in the world”.
This early-harvest oil contains 30 times more polyphenols than extra virgin olive oil, and 100 times more Oleocanthal. To keep those compounds intact, Oleaphen uses single-dose seaweed-based pods instead of bottles, preventing oxidation and waste.
Netien says what they are doing is a modern revival of an old practice.
“There’s a tradition in the Mediterranean, especially in Greece and Cyprus, of doing some olive oil really early in the season … and this oil was kept at home to be used as a medicine,” he said.
“It’s not new. It’s thousands of years old.”
Reuters
Dining and Cooking