Erica De Mane

Italian olive oil for sale in Manhattan around 1930.

I just read an article that says that the good fat found in olive oil may provide one of the keys to appetite control and weight loss. Could it be true, fattening old olive oil?

Could be. It seems that oleic acid, a kind of monosaturated fat that olive oil has in abundance, suppresses hunger pangs and so can help prevent snacking between meals, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine.

In a study involving lab mice (who else?), the researchers found that when oleic acid reaches the small intestine, it’s converted into a hormone called oleoylethanolamide. The hormone sends hunger-dampening signals to the brain, which means you feel full sooner and can go longer without eating. The findings were published in a journal called Cell Metabolism.

Truly? Somehow it feels true. Just think how satiated you feel after a big bowl of spaghetti aglio e olio. Maybe olive oil and red wine, my two favorite foods, have all along been the keys to the Mediterranean diet. It’s gotta be.