Olive oil in infancy

  Fat intake is important to both the new-born baby and the weaned infant; even more important is the appropriate intake of essential fatty acids. Breast-fed babies receive 4 - 5% of their calories in the form of polyunsaturated acids, while babies fed on cow's milk receive substantially less. Low linoleic acid intake can delay growth and produce skin, hepatic and metabolic disorders. Seed oils, which are rich in polyunsaturates, are not recommended in large quantities for children because it is not advisable to lower their cholesterol level and because these oils promote peroxidative phenomena, especially in youngsters with low vitamin E reserves. Hence, it is important to strike a balance between the dietary supply of linoleic and linolenic acids because too much of the former can cause disorders of the nervous system. In his comparison of the effects of olive oil, sunflower oil and saturated fats on growing rats, Galli detected modifications in the structural lipids of the brain and liver among the groups treated with saturated fats and sunflower oil. There were none, however, in the group treated with olive oil. Olive oil provides a relatively low amount of essential fatty acids but has a balanced linoleic:linolenic ratio similar to that found in breast milk.

  As regards the influence of olive oil on bone mineralization and development, a study by Laval-Jeantet demonstrates the need for fats. The most positive effects are obtained with the intake of oleic glycerides to which a minimum amount of polyunsaturates is added, and so the best diets for this purpose are those containing olive oil.

Olive oil and old age

  From the very outset, food provides human beings with the energy necessary for the renewal and continuation of life. Each cell inherits a program that dictates its biological activity and that can be repeated an unlimited number of times. Successive repetition, however, produces errors that are corrected at first, but which over time become consolidated and give rise to incorrect information to which other errors are added. A diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids can lead to peroxidative phenomena, which expose cells to this production of errors. On the other hand, the presence of antioxidant substances, such as vitamin E, provides a defense mechanism. Mice fed on olive oil have a longer life expectancy than those fed on sunflower and corn oil. This is explained by the better ratio between vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids in olive oil. When applied to man, this research makes for caution in the indiscriminate use of polyunsaturated-rich oils and leads to a preference for olive oil over other dietary fats because of its balanced content of linoleic acid, linolenic acid and anti-oxidant substances.

  In a study on skin changes over time, Pinkey reported that people on a diet consisting of more than 10% polyunsaturates showed signs of aging. 60% of the cases had skin lesions removed that were suspected of being malignant.

  Bone calcification is another problem common in the elderly. Olive oil seems to have a positive effect, which appears to be dose-dependent, because the more olive oil ingested the better the bone mineralization obtained. The explanation might lie in the large amount of oleates in the structural lipids of bones. According to French researchers, olive oil would appear to be necessary during growth and later in adulthood to avoid calcium loss.

  Old age brings with it reduced digestive capacity and poor absorption of nutrients, especially of vitamins and mineral salts. Olive oil has the best characteristics as regards digestibility and absorption and has a mild laxative effect. Whether consumed cooked, fried, or better yet raw, in order to make the most of its vitamin and anti-oxidant content, olive oil helps make food more appetizing and aids digestion.

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