When heated, the oil loses most of its health benefits

Jun 29, 2013 19:01 GMT  ·  By

Regularly consuming extra virgin olive oil poses lots of health benefits. Not to mention the fact that this type of oil seems to make food taste better.

However, specialists are now saying that those who purchase extra virgin olive oil and then use it to cook various dishes are doing no more and no less than wasting their money. This is because, when heated, extra virgin olive oil gets altered.

Long story short: it loses some of the compounds that make it so healthy and tasty and gets new ones that aren't really worth the money one typically spends on a bottle of extra virgin olive oil.

“Virgin olive oil consumption, as final seasoning or within cooked foods, is increasing worldwide, mainly due to its recognized nutritional benefits.”

“However, different cooking practices, from common frying, to boiling and microwave cooking, undoubtedly modify the olive oil chemical profile,” a team of scientists write in the journal Food Research International, as cited by Daily Mail.

The specialists recommend that those who are dead set on cooking with olive oil opt for the standard variety and not the extra virgin one.