Health Benefits of Olive Oil
Olive oil contains a number of compounds with a 6-carbon ring structure on them. Those compounds collectively are called phenolics. They are good anti-oxidants preventing oxygen pore-radicals from forming and they also tend to be anti-inflammatory.
One polyphenol compound found in olive oil is the compound called Oleocanthal which has been shown to interfere with processes associated with many types of inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer formation and growth. High quality olive oils provide many health benefits. Fresh, high-quality extra virgin olive oils contain more nutrients and will provide far more of the famous health benefits liquid gold is known for. The best olive oils are pure, healthful, functional foods that can help protect against some of the following diseases:
Cancer
According to a research which was made public on January 25, 2015, researchers have discovered in a lab study that oleocanthal, causes a rupture of a part of the cancerous cell which releases enzymes and causes cell death, without harming healthy cells. In this way, cancer cells are killed by their own enzymes.
Links:
Heart Disease
Olive oil is the main source of dietary fat in the Mediterranean diet. There appears to be a lower death rate from cardiovascular diseases in the Mediterranean area, compared with other parts of the world.
Results of several researches conducted on the subject suggest that people who regularly consume olive oil are less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, and hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels).
Olive oil intake also appears to help reduce inflammation, endothelial dysfunction (problems with the inner linings of blood vessels), thrombosis, and carbohydrate metabolism.
Links:
Blood Pressure
A report in the series “Olive Oil as Medicine” by the University of California at Davis Olive Center published in December 2015 recommends consumption of extra virgin olive oil to lower high blood pressure. Extra Virgin Olive Oil with higher phenol content can provide more benefits than EVOO with lower phenol content.
Diabetes
A study published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care showed that a Mediterranean style diet rich in olive oil reduced the risk of type II diabetes by almost 50 percent compared to a low fat diet. Type II diabetes is the most common and preventable form of diabetes.
Links:
Alzheimer's Disease
Oleocanthal which is a type of natural phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil. According to an article published in Medical News Today, research findings on the subject suggested that oleocanthal boosts the production of two proteins and key enzymes that help removal beta-amyloid from the brain.
Rates of Alzheimer's disease are lower in Mediterranean countries, where consumption of olive oil is higher than anywhere else in the world.
Link:
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
Stroke Prevention
Scientists in France concluded that olive oil may prevent stroke in older people. The team found that older people who regularly used olive oil for cooking and salad dressing or with bread had a 41-percent lower risk of stroke, compared with those who never consumed it.The researchers suggested that olive oil might be a cheap and easy way to prevent stroke, a common problem in older people.
Links:
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
- https://www.nature.com/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
- https://www.aan.com/