Olive Oil Can Curb Hunger

We’re urged to eat more olive oil – an important component of the Mediterranean Diet - for our health’s sake. Although it’s a fat, and consuming fat is usually associated with obesity, 73% of the fat is mono-unsaturated, 11% poly-unsaturated, and only 14% is composed of saturated fatty acids. In other words, olive oil is a ‘good fat’. Apart from its antioxidant properties, olive oil may have an additional feature that can help encourage a healthy lifestyle. According to a report in the journal Cell Metabolism, the fatty acid oleic acid stimulates the production of a lipid hormone called oleoylethanolamide (OEA), which decreases appetite.

Oleic acid is transformed into OEA by the cells of the small intestine; it then stimulates the nerve endings that carry the sensation of fullness to the brain. This mechanism has been demonstrated by the researchers, using a rat model.

The investigators state that OEA is a key physiological signal linking dietary fat intake to satiety. They go further to suggest that interfering with this mechanism, maybe by inhibiting OEA degradation, could lead to new treatments for obesity. Until such substances have been developed, tested, and won approval from the FDA, I think one should take this finding as an extra benefit of consuming olive oil, which is in itself a healthy step. Just make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil!