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High Oleocanthal
Olive Oil for Athletes
That peppery burn at the back of your throat is oleocanthal.
Oleaphen is built around it: 1,248 mg/kg in our 2025 harvest, more than half of its 2,236 mg/kg of polyphenols. Add squalene, plant sterols and vitamin E,
and each kilo carries 12,118 mg of bioactive compounds.
Athletes get it in sealed daily monodoses, and it is now being used in clinical trials with professional athletes.
Questions from athletes and staff
What is oleocanthal?
Oleocanthal is a polyphenol found only in extra virgin olive oil, and the cause of its peppery sting at the back of the throat. Oleaphen's 2025 harvest contains 1,248 mg/kg of oleocanthal within 2,236 mg/kg of total polyphenols. That is 56% of its polyphenols, compared with 10 to 25% in typical olive oils.
What does the research say about oleocanthal?
In laboratory tests, oleocanthal acts on COX-1 and COX-2, the same enzymes ibuprofen targets (Beauchamp et al., Nature, 2005). In human cartilage cells under inflammatory stress, it also suppressed the NF-κB and MAPK pathways (Scotece et al., 2018). In a randomised human trial of oils with equal total polyphenols, the measured effect followed oleocanthal content (Agrawal et al., 2017).
What else is in Oleaphen besides polyphenols?
Alongside its phenols, Oleaphen contains squalene, plant sterols and vitamin E, all naturally present in extra virgin olive oil. In the 2025 harvest the total came to 12,118 mg/kg of bioactive compounds: 7,030 mg/kg squalene, 2,370 mg/kg sterols, 2,236 mg/kg polyphenols and 481.9 mg/kg vitamin E.
Is olive oil on the anti-doping prohibited list?
No. Olive oil and its polyphenols, including oleocanthal, are naturally occurring food compounds and are not on the WADA Prohibited List. Every Oleaphen batch has a certificate of analysis, available to team medical and anti-doping staff.
How do athletes take it?
Taken cold, never cooked, since heat degrades oleocanthal. Most athletes take one monodose a day. For teams, intake is set with performance and medical staff around the training and competition calendar, and we pack monodoses to match.
Is Oleaphen being studied in athletes?
Yes. Oleaphen is being used in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in professional footballers, run with three universities. It measures recovery, cognition, reaction time and hormonal response.
Do you supply sports teams?
Yes. We supply clubs and medical teams directly, with monodoses packed to the squad's plan and a certificate of analysis for every batch. We work in confidentially and sign NDAs on request. Contact our team.