The antioxidant activity (IC(50)) of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), commercial olive oil, and other vegetable oils (soybean, sunflower, and corn oil) was determined by UV-vis and by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of the stable radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Also, we studied the antioxidant activity of the methanol soluble phase (methanolic, MF) and the nonsoluble phase (lipidic, LF) of oils by the same methods. Similarly, we studied the effect of heating on the antioxidant activity at 160 and 190 degrees C. Also, the MF, containing the polyphenolic substances, was used for measurements of the radical scavenging capacity toward the most important oxygen free radicals, superoxide anion (O(2)(*)(-)) and hydroxyl (HO(*)) radicals. Results showed that soybean oil and EVOO had the highest antioxidant potential and thermal stability. In the case of soybean oil, the antioxidant capacity is the result of its high content of gamma- and delta-tocopherols (with the highest antioxidant capacity and thermostabilities), whereas in EVOO, the antioxidant potential is the result of the combination of specific antioxidant polyphenols, which are acting additionally as effective stabilizers of alpha-tocopherol. The high content of EVOO in tyrosol, hydrotyrosol, and oleuropein and other polyphenolics with radical scavenging abilities toward superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical suggests that olive oil possesses biological properties that could partially account for the observed beneficial health effects of the Mediterranean diet.