According to the journal Nutritional Neuroscience, Brazilian scientists discovered, through experiments on obese mice, that adding extra virgin olive oil to their diet helps prevent inflammation in the hypothalamus, the brain region responsible for regulating hunger and metabolism. The mice that consumed olive oil showed less weight gain and improved metabolic function.
The journal explained that a team of researchers from the University of São Paulo, led by Ariadne Perez, fed mice a high-fat diet, supplementing some of it with olive oil. After several weeks, the researchers observed a reduction in inflammation in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus in the mice that consumed the oil—an area typically affected by obesity. The researchers suggest that consuming extra virgin olive oil could be a promising approach for preventing metabolic disorders associated with obesity.
Extra virgin olive oil is extracted by mechanically pressing the olives without refining or using heat, making it rich in polyphenols and vitamin E, two antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances that play a role in supporting general health.
