I love olives and olive oil. In Painless I warned: "Do not expect a reasonable discussion. You can have my olives when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers - or teeth. " Olive oil eases your pain

a chemical in premium olive oil acts a lot like ibuprofen, the anti-inflammatory drug used to relieve headache and arthritis pain. That may help explain why the vaunted Mediterranean diet is so good for us.

In Cough Medicine the slurp method of oil flavor testing was explained.

Vigorous slurping aerates the viscous oil and helps release its flavors . . .

The sensations of bitterness, astringency and pungency are caused by members of the phenolic family of chemicals. Phenols also have antioxidant properties and so help to protect the oil from going rancid. Whenever you taste an especially peppery oil, it’s an indication that the oil is rich in olive extracts and relatively fresh.

It may be that the antioxidant properties do more than help keep the olive oil fresh.

In a study of the major antioxidants in olive oil, Portuguese researchers showed that one, DHPEA-EDA, protects red blood cells from damage more than any other part of olive oil.

"These findings provide the scientific basis for the clear health benefits that have been seen in people who have olive oil in their diet," says lead researcher Fatima Paiva-Martins, who works at the University of Porto.

Heart disease is caused partly by reactive oxygen, including free radicals, acting on LDL or "bad" cholesterol and resulting in hardening of the arteries. Red blood cells are particularly susceptible to oxidative damage because they are the body's oxygen carriers.

In the study, published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Paiva-Martins and colleagues compared the effects of four related polyphenolic compounds on red blood cells subjected to oxidative stress by a known free radical generating chemical.

DHPEA-EDA was the most effective and protected red blood cells even at low concentrations. The researchers say the study provides the first evidence that this compound is the major source of the health benefit associated with virgin olive oils, which contain increased levels of DHPEA-EDA compared to other oils. In virgin olive oils, DHPEA-EDA may make up as much as half the total antioxidant component of the oil.

It keeps your blood fresh, so to speak, as well as keeping the oil fresh.