Olive biophenols: functional effects on human wellbeing

With increasing interest in novel descriptors of hedonic-sensory (HS) and functional (F) quality, scientific documentation of the dietary habits associated with the Mediterranean Aliment Culture (MAC) lifestyle, shows low risk for many chronic diseases. This has been interpreted as the F effect of widespread plant antioxidant intake. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of some of the most typical biophenols (BPs) contained in table olives (TOs) and olive oil, such as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), was revealed through biomimetic Experiments on the scavenging effects of chain-propagating lipid peroxyl radicals within membranes, and for human skin protection. Dietary intake of TO and EVOO BPs might lower the risk of degenerative diseases and microbial infect-ions For consumers, Home consumans (Hc). MAC foodstuffs, also referred to as 'life-stage foods', could emerge as if products', engineered to tackle the specific dietary requirements of the aged population. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.