Description
Olive Oil
The antioxidants in olive oil may help protect the body from
cellular damage that can lead to a range of health conditions and
diseases. Extra virgin olive oil has a bitter flavor, but it
contains more antioxidants than other types, as it undergoes the
least processing.
Olive oil comes from olives, the fruit of the olive tree. Olives
are a traditional crop of the Mediterranean region. People make
olive oil by pressing whole olives.
People use olive oil in cooking, cosmetics, medicine, soaps, and as
a fuel for traditional lamps. Olive oil originally came from the
Mediterranean, but today, it is popular around the world.
In the diet, people preserve olives in olive oil or salted water.
They eat them whole or chopped and added to pizzas and other
dishes.
They can use olive oil a dip for bread, for drizzling on pasta, in
cooking, or as a salad dressing. Some people consume it by the
spoonful for medicinal purposes.
Benefits
- Extra virgin olive oil, which is the best quality oil
available, is rich in antioxidants, which help prevent cellular
damage caused by molecules called free radicals.
- Free radicals are substances that the body produces during
metabolism and other processes. Antioxidants neutralize free
radicals.
- If too many free radicals build up, they can cause oxidative
stress. This can lead to cell damage, and it may play a role in the
development of certain diseases, including certain types of
cancer.
Olive oil and the cardiovascular system
- Olive oil is the main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet.
People who consume this diet appear to have a higher life
expectancy, including a lower chance of dying from cardiovascular
diseases, compared with people who follow other diets.
- The number of cardiovascular events among people who consumed a
Mediterranean diet, either with olive oil or nuts, or a low-fat
diet.
- People who consumed the Mediterranean diet, whether with olive
oil or nuts, had a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than
those on the low-fat diet.
- Consuming around *0 grams (g) or two tablespoons (tbs) of extra
virgin olive oil each day to reduce the risk of cardiovascular
disease and inflammation.
- The polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil may offer protection
from cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, brain
dysfunction, and cancer. Polyphenols are a type of
antioxidant.
Metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a condition characterized by a group of risk
factors that increase disease risk, including obesity, high blood
pressure, and high blood sugar levels.
Olive oil in a Mediterranean diet might improve features of
metabolic syndrome, such as inflammation, blood sugar,
triglycerides (fats in the blood), and low-density lipoprotein
(LDL), or bad cholesterol. In contrast, it appears to increase
levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol.
Depression risk and olive oil
Ingredients in extra virgin olive oil may help protect the nervous
system and could be useful for treating depression and anxiety.
People who ate trans fats, which is an unhealthful fat that
features in fast foods and premade baked goods, were more likely to
have depression than those who consumed unsaturated fats, such as
olive oil.
Olive oil and cancer risk
Substances in olive oil may help reduce the risk of breast cancer,
but not all findings confirm this.
Olive oil contains substances that may help prevent colorectal
cancer. Lab tests have found evidence that antioxidants in olive
oil may help protect the body from inflammation, oxidative damage,
and epigenetic changes.
Alzheimers disease
Including extra virgin olive oil in the diet may help prevent
Alzheimers disease. This may be due to its protective impact on
blood vessels in the brain.
Consuming oleocanthal-rich extra virgin olive oil could help slow
or stop the progression of Alzheimers. Oleocanthal is a phenolic
compound that occurs in extra virgin olive oil.
