The Health Benefits
of Arqan Oil
Health Benefits
An effective booster for the immune system
Argan oil contains a high concentration of Vitamin E, making it an effective booster for the immune system, as well as helping your body maintain and repair both eyes and skin. It also contains high levels of essential fatty that can also help boost the body’s levels of “good” cholesterol and lower “bad” cholesterol, lessening the risk of heart disease.
While medical research into argan oil is still in its infancy, it is well known to be rich in important nutrients, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Early findings indicate that argan oil may help prevent chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Used topically it may also treat a variety of skin conditions and complaints, from acne to aging.
Argan oil contains approximately 313 mg squalene/100g oil (499 mg/100g olive oil). This is significantly higher than in other vegetable oils. Squalene is a precursor to steroids.
Argan oil’s high tocopherol, tocopherol and polyphenol content – Argan oil contains much higher levels of these components than olive oil – is responsible for many reported health benefits. Phenols and tocopherols are special antioxidants that can neutralise free radicals in the body, preventing aging processes and certain diseases. Most notably, gamma-tocopherol (g-tocopherol) is known for its role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and prostate cancer.
Argan oil also contains several tocopherols that are better known as vitamin E. The a-tocopherol is the most active vitamin, but nutritionally speaking, g-tocopherol is at least as important. Argan oil is also rich in carotenoids which, like antioxidants, also play an important role in our health.
Spina sterol and schottenol are two sterols that are abundant in argan oil, but are rarely found in vegetable oils. The sterols that are found in vegetable and olive oils have been found to have a positive (lowering) effect on cholesterol in the blood and in particular on LDL cholesterol (the culprit in the cholesterol story and an important risk factor in cardiovascular and cardiac diseases). The sterol content in argan oil is much the same as that of olive oil, resulting in similar health benefits.
Unlike olive oil, which is produced all around the Mediterranean – meaning that the quality of the olives, and also the oil – varies from region to region, Argan oil is always from the same specific region, and is therefore much more consistent in its composition and pharmacological profile.