Food That Does A Body Good

Fans of olive oil should be happy about this news:

Freshly pressed olive oil can ease the pain of living too well — literally — researchers said Wednesday.

The throat-stinging squeezings of the pulped olive — the only vegetable oil that can be consumed without processing — contains a compound that has the same pain-relieving effect as ibuprofen, scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia reported in research published in the journal Nature.

The discovery of a natural anti-inflammatory agent in extra virgin olive oil offers a reliable biochemical insight into the well-documented but puzzling health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, which appears to lower the risk of cancer, heart ailments and some chronic diseases even though it is high in fat and salt.

In the kitchen of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, where chefs drizzle, dip and splash $10,000 worth of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil every month, and the chic corporate corridors of Gourmet in New York, this newest finding about the pharmacology of food prompted bemused looks, skepticism and more than one deeply satisfied smile.

"It is always reassuring to hear that something so good has a health benefit," said cafe chef Russell Moore at Chez Panisse. "But it does seem strange that there would be whole cultures of people eating an anti-inflammatory all the time."

However, only the freshest — and usually most expensive — olive oil has significant amounts of the pungent compound, called oleocanthal, the researchers said. Aging and cooking destroy it.

The irritating intensity of the taste of a fresh extra virgin olive oil turned out to be directly related to how much oleocanthal the oil contained.

The highest levels are found in the olives grown in Tuscany and the lowest in many California olive groves.