E. Escrich. Editor This book addresses the need to provide up-to-date, reliable information, presented in the clearest and most accessible language possible, about the health benefits of olive oil. Its main objective is to present the current evidence-based scientific knowledge regarding the health benefits of olive oils, and to do so in an accessible, informative style. The book is aimed at the general public, as well as at professionals and those responsible for public and professional organisations connected in any way with food and health. It is also intended for members of the food supply chain. Among its goals are also to encourage citizens to think critically about the messages they receive concerning food, and to seek trustworthy sources of information; as well as to promote nutrition education for health and to help disseminate it, with the ultimate aim of improving population dietary habits. The book includes a prologue written by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Honourable Minister of Health of the Spanish Government. It is composed of 18 chapters written by Spain’s leading researchers in the field of olive oil and health. These chapters are organised into four units. The first, titled “The key role of diet in health: Olive Oils”, includes six chapters and serves as an introduction. The second, “Olive oils in different stages of life and in physical activity”, contains three chapters and explores the preventive effects of olive oils in healthy individuals. The third unit, “Benefits of virgin and extra virgin olive oil in diseases”, includes eight chapters: seven focus on conditions for which there is a significant body of evidence, and one on other diseases in which extra virgin olive oil has also shown positive effects, although the available data are still limited. Finally, the fourth unit, Olive oil within the framework of the Mediterranean diet and a healthy lifestyle, consists of a single chapter that integrates these concepts. Given the scientific and educational nature of the book, it features an extensive glossary to aid understanding of the 533 technical terms that inevitably appear throughout the chapters. It also aims to offer intuitive explanations of technical terms frequently encountered by people living with the health conditions discussed in this volume. Lastly, the book presents the four nutrition and health claims applicable to olive oils, authorised by the European Commission, following evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). These claims provide unequivocal evidence of the key role this food plays in the field of health.
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