Olive Oil Benefits and Contraindications The main health benefits of olive oil come from its abundance of monounsaturated fatty acids.
Most of it is called oleic acid (or Omega-9), which is extremely healthy and great for unclogging the arteries of bad cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and increasing the amount of good cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
A diet rich in extra virgin olive oil also helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, this is the end result of lowering blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity.
Since it can lower bad LDL cholesterol, this also reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death in North America.
Both HDL and LDL cholesterol cancel each other out by binding to each other as they are filtered through the urine by the liver.
Including a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in your diet improves many areas of your body due to its myriad of health benefits, most of which come from its antioxidants.
Getting 72% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin E is great for killing off harmful bacteria already in your system and preventing the creation of new ones.
Olive oil has a powerful antioxidant, vitamin K. One tablespoon contains 7.6% of your recommended dietary allowance (RDA).
This helps fight oxidative stress, harmful bacteria, and other serious infections such as cognitive and cellular degeneration.
A study published in Canada claims that olive oil is rich in antioxidants and has strong anti-inflammatory effects on health. It reduces inflammation in all of your external and internal systems, helping to fight cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to antioxidants (which also help reduce inflammation), there is the phenylethanoid compound called oleocanthal.
Oleocanthal is a naturally occurring phenolic compound found in abundance in olive oil and behaves similarly to ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is what mainly makes up Advil and Tylenol, as well as other anti-inflammatory drugs.
Let us see, below, the benefits of olive oil in more detail:
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Olive oil health benefits
Improves cardiovascular and heart health Heart disease is the most common cause of death in the world, and observational studies conducted a few decades ago showed that heart disease is less common on the Mediterranean diet.
Extra virgin olive oil is the main source of healthy fats in the Mediterranean diet, one of the main factors contributing to its lower rate of heart disease.
The Mediterranean has always had lower mortality rates related to cardiovascular disease compared to other parts of the world. This statistic is strongly linked to their diets containing a lot of olives.
This statistic led to an extensive study on the effect of the Mediterranean diet on overall human health. It has now been shown to significantly reduce heart disease and other complications.
Extra virgin olive oil protects your arteries from bad cholesterol (LDL) and oxidation, helps reduce inflammation, improves blood cholesterol, vessel linings.
Extra virgin olive oil also helps prevent excessive blood clotting which stabilizes blood sugar levels.
It has also been shown that regular consumption of olive oil lowers total blood pressurewhich is one of the main risk factors contributing to heart disease and premature death.
In many studies, consuming 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil per day has been shown to reduce the need for blood-regulating medications by more than 48%.
There are hundreds of studies that prove that extra virgin olive oils can help maintain and minimize the side effects of many diseases due to all its antioxidants.
If you have a personal or family history of heart-related disease or any other possible cardiovascular risk, you may want to include a substantial amount of olive oil in your diet to help mitigate that risk and improve your heart health.
Always check with a health professional before making significant changes to your diet.
Full of antioxidants and healthy fats. In addition to its healthy fatty acid content, it also contains a healthy amount of vitamins E and K, which are very powerful antioxidants.
Antioxidants are healthy active compounds that help reduce the risk of multiple risk factors for chronic heart disease.
The natural extraction process used to make extra virgin olive oil, which is by cold pressing the olive fruit, ensures that it will retain all of its natural nutrients and antioxidants that would have been lost due to excessive processing.
Multiple clinical studies show that people who regularly consumed cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil had a 42.1% reduced risk of having a stroke, due to all the healthy fatty acids.
Multiple studies consistently suggest that having a diet rich in olive oil and MUFA has positive effects on cardiovascular disease markers, such as heart failurecoronary heart disease and stroke.
Containing more than 30 different types of phenolic acid compounds and polyphenols, a study revealed, phenolic acids are powerful antioxidants that help protect the body against damaging cells.
They are molecules that cause cell damage, contribute to organ diseases, and accelerate the aging process.
This has the added health benefit of also lowering markers of chronic inflammation, high or low blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose levels.
Protect your heart against strokes Strokes cause the second most deaths after heart disease in North America. Strokes are caused by interruption of blood flow to your brain, due to a blood clot or a bleed.
It is closely linked to heart disease and shares many of the same risk factors, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
These side effects are negated by increased consumption of oleic acid.
A large review studied 840,000 people and found that the only source of monounsaturated fat associated with a lower risk of stroke and heart disease was oleic acid found in olive oil.
Another study, conducted in France, sought to compare the effect of olive oil use with its risk of incidence of stroke and heart disease.
These findings are in line with the fact that most people are beginning to frequently use olive oil in place of less heart-healthy options within their diets.
Combine this with the high amounts of antioxidants, and it becomes clear why it has such a big impact on cardiovascular health and overall health.
Has powerful anti-inflammatory properties Consuming extra virgin olive oil has many health benefits, including reducing chronic inflammation, relieving oxidative stress, and mitigating symptoms of heart disease.
Chronic inflammation is known to be the main driver of many diseases, such as breast cancerheart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, arthritis and even obesity.
Research also shows that extra virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants like oleic acid. These antioxidants have the added health benefit of helping to reduce levels of inflammation and the inflammatory marker found in the bloodstream, C-reactive protein (CRP).
The most effective antioxidant is called oleocanthal, a phenolic compound that has been shown to behave like ibuprofen, a common anti-inflammatory drug found in Tylenol and Advil.
Researchers have calculated that the amount of oleocanthal and oleic acid found in 3.5 tablespoons (50 ml) of extra virgin olive oil has the same effect as taking a dose of 10% ibuprofen.
Another study also showed that antioxidants (vitamin E and K) can hinder genes and other harmful proteins that cause chronic inflammation, a common trigger for breast cancer.
Internal and external inflammation can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, chronic diseases, Alzheimer diseaserheumatoid arthritis and increases the risk of breast cancer.
Most of the health benefits of olive oil help to mitigate and reduce inflammation, heart disease, and weight gain. olive oil benefits and contraindications
Improves hair care and scalp health Olive oil is a wonderful natural product for the proper care, health and maintenance of hair. This also helps with the Hair growthresulting in longer and thicker hair.
High-quality olive oil is very good for the maintenance and healthy growth of hair that men experience more frequently, while women seek more the benefits of giving hair strength, body and shine.
Some of the hair benefits of olive oil include:
damaged hair repair
Reduces frizz
Detangles the hair
Reduce friction between hair strands.
Applying a few tablespoons to the hair and scalp helps reduce dehydration of the skin. dandrufffungus and scalp that can prevent dandruff, dry and flaky skin. olive oil benefits and contraindications
All hair types absorb monounsaturated and saturated fats efficiently. That is why essential oils like coconut oil and avocado oil are used to treat dry hair.
The healthy fatty acids and vitamins found in these essential oils help to penetrate the hair follicles, thus locking in moisture and protecting the hair. Research suggests that you can treat your hair simply by using an avocado and olive oil hair mask. olive oil benefits and contraindications
First, mash the avocado in a bowl, and then toss in a tablespoon of olive oil. When the avocado mixture is ready, apply it to your hair working from the roots up.
Then, you cover your hair with a shower cap and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes…