An Olive Oil Created by a Molecular Biologist? I’ll Bite...

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kyoord review
  • Value:14/20
  • Ease of Use:18/20
  • Quality:19/20
  • 美学:19/20
  • Taste:19/20
  • TOTAL: 89/100

In case you missed it, apparently80 percent of EVOOin the United States is counterfeit, as in, it could just be canola oil with a hit of rancid, deodorized olive juice slapped with an EVOO label. So it’s no surprise we’ve seen a new guard of direct-to-consumer brands—Brightland,GrazaFat Gold—popping up to deliver high-quality olive oil that’sactually(shocker!) olive oil. And while these brands focus largely (and understandably) on taste, another newer EVOO player, kyoord, developed by a molecular biologist, puts the focus on health, marketing their olive oils as medicinal quality products. This might be why a 16.9 oz. bottle of kyoord goes for more than any of the other brands mentioned.

So, is a $49 bottle of olive oil worth the splurge? After I guzzled my way through a bottle ofkyoord’s high-phenolic olive oil, I can confirm that there is a difference in taste and quality, possibly, overall health benefits and, damn, it looked cute and fancy on my counter. Here’s my review of molecular biologist-created EVOO and why I think it’s worth having a bottle on hand.

橄榄油是非常健康…但是假橄榄油is not

Olive oil is one of the healthiest fats out there. It’s filled with monounsaturated fats linked to a myriad of benefits thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties: “[Observational] studies have shown a link between lower risks of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and even dementia in people who consume higher amounts of olive oil than those who use little or none,”writes Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor for Harvard Health Publishing. And there are also the polyphenols, aka phenolic compounds, which are also believed to have copious health benefits. In fact, a pilot study from January 2022 published inFrontiers in Oncologyfound that patients with early-stage leukemia who consumed extra virgin olive oil rich in phenolic compounds, oleocanthal and oleacein, had lower white blood cell and lymphocyte counts than before starting high-EVOO consumption.

kyoord is engineered with those phenolic compounds

kyoord, pronounced “cured”, was developed by founder, cancer researcher and molecular biologist Dr. Limor Goren who realized that medicinal olive oil—aka olive oil with high-phenolic content—was not easily accessible in the U.S. A bottle of kyoord has a total polyphenol count of 992 mg/kg. For comparison,Brightland’s Awake, another high-phenol product has 592 mg/kg. This means that while you’d typically have to consume a boatload of extra virgin olive oil to benefit from those health properties, kyoord’s high-phenolic count means a spoonful a day will do the trick, hence why the brand promotes taking shots of the stuff.

Do you cook with it or sling it back like a shot?

You can do both. At first I wasn’t really looking forward to slinging back a shot of EVOO, but in the name of research, I took one every day for two weeks and actually started to look forward to that peppery kick. Though it’s not like I was testing my blood to see how the phenolic compounds and good fats were making me healthier by the shot—and I have zero anecdotal evidence supporting the health benefits—I did thoroughly enjoy consuming the product in raw form. Beyond the shots, I used it as in salad dressings, drizzled it on roasted veggies topped with flaky sea salt or, as a final touch to a soup or stew—its in-your-face herbaceous baseline surprisingly balances rich flavors, kinda like how a tart vinegar can cut through a fatty dish. But you can also cook with it. And if high heat usually sets off your alarms, the higher smoke point of kyoord, thanks to its high phenols, means you can cook at higher temps sans the fire drill.

Will the $49 bottle replace my $17 32-oz. pantry staple?

My house uses up a lot of olive oil. And at nearly 50 bucks for 16.9 oz, I can’t imagine a world where I could routinely spend that much on such a necessary cooking staple. But I would totally splurge on a bottle to use up more slowly on special dishes and, sure, health shots. And yeah…its chic bottle design, a slender white bottle with a thick natural wood cap looks pretty cute on my counter too.


DaraKatz

Dara Katz

Executive Editor, Frazzled Mom, Bravo-Holic

Dara Katz is PureWow's Executive Editor, focusing on relationships, sex, horoscopes, travel and pets. Dara joined PureWow in 2016 and now dresses so much better. A lifestyle...
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