Various studies have shown Olive Oil to offer a handful of health benefits. A variety of studies have also suggested that Olive Oil's benefits should be accompanied by caveats.
Healthy Fats
The main type of fat in Olive Oil is monounsaturated fatty acids, making it a healthy oil when compared to a variety of others.
Olive Oil is also lower in saturated fats, which suggests that Olive Oil can be used in place of butter in foods. Olive Oil contains no trans-fats.
Anti-oxidant
Olive Oilmay reduce the risk of cancer because of the antioxidant nature of its polyphenols. The risk of developing degenerative diseases can be reduced by reducing oxidation and damage to cells.
Research has shown that Olive Oil can be used in place of saturated fats to reduce the risk of developing upper digestive and respiratory tract cancers.
Cholesterol is not allowed
Olive Oil does not contain cholesterol. It also reduces LDL (or 'bad') cholesterol. LDL cholesterol deposits in the arteries and can lead to heart disease.
Blood Pressure
A variety of studies have demonstrated a link between Olive Oil consumption and blood pressure. There has been a decrease in both diastolic as well as systolic blood pressure.
Insulin and Blood Sugar
Some research has described and displayed that Olive Oil may benefit insulin levels and blood-sugar control.
Redue Oxidation
Olive Oil contains polyphenols and oleic acid, both of which have been found to assist in reducing oxidation of LDL. Plaque buildup is caused by oxidized LDL.
These health benefits are dependent on the quality of the oil at its beginning, its storage, and how fresh it is when it is consumed. The oil's ability to deliver these health benefits is affected by its exposure to light and air.
The Mediterranean diet is known to contain a variety of beneficial effects on health, from lowering peripheral arterial disease risk to reducing sleep apnea, to even increasing life expectancy.
In addition, according to a new study from Sapienza University in Rome, Extra Virgin Olive Oil as part of a Mediterranean diet seems to have healthier effects on cholesterol and blood sugar after meals than other types of fat in general.
The Mediterranean diet, which is a common eating style in countries like Spain, Italy, Morocco, Morocco, and Greece, mainly focuses on whole grain, vegetables, fruits, low fat dairy, nuts and legumes as well as extra virgin olive oils.
Research has shown that extra virgin oil may help prevent cardiovascular disease. However, it is not clear how this happens.
To determine how the oil benefits heart and blood vessel health, researchers evaluated the effects of adding either no oil, 10 grams (approximately 2 tablespoons) of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or 10 grams of corn oil to a standard Mediterranean lunch in 25 subjects without diabetes.
In the first stage of the study, the participants were randomly assigned to eat the meal either with or without the additional Extra Virgin Olive Oil. A month later, these same participants were randomly assigned to eat the meal either with the addition of Extra Virgin Olive Oil or the addition of corn oil.
The test revealed that blood tests were taken two hours prior to and two hours following the meals. They showed that blood sugar levels rose less after the extra virgin olive oil meal (26.2 mg/dl on average) than after the meal with corn oil (40.7m/dl on average) or without additional oil (53.6m/dl on average).
Also, LDL (or "bad") cholesterol levels were lower after meals with extra virgin olive oil than those with corn oil or none.
Although the study is small, the researchers note that it is one of the first to connect lower cholesterol and blood sugar after meals to a Mediterranean diet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
American researchers have recently discovered that a diet rich with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - a key component of the Mediterranean Diet - can help forestall off memory loss and cognitive decline, protecting the brain from related conditions such as:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil could in fact be considered as a viable therapeutic opportunity for preventing or halting Alzheimer's disease.
These findings are titled "Extra-virgin olive oils improve cognition and neuropathology in 3xTg mice: role for autophagy" was published in the online journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology as a case study by researchers from Philadelphia's Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, led by Domenico Pratico (a professor of Pharmacology and Microbiology and Center for Translational Medicine).
The study also sought to determine the impact of daily Extra Virgin Olive Oil consumption on Alzheimer's Disease incidence. It did this by investigating the essential effect of the oil on Alzheimer's disease phenotypes found in modified mice.
Recent studies have shown that Extra Virgin Olive Oil's phenolic compounds, antioxidant properties, and brain protection can help prevent both age-related and disease-associated brain oxidation in mice. However, these studies only focused on one aspect of the Alzheimer disease phenotype.
Researchers used genetically engineered mice to show the main characteristics of Alzheimer's Disease.
Amyloid plaque is a form of protein buildup in excess in the brain. This causes a buildup of neurons. Neurofibrillary Tangles are caused by a protein called tau getting twisted. It prevents the brain from transporting essential nutrients and results in brain cell death.
The mice were split into two groups: one was given a standard diet, the other was given a diet with extra virgin olive oil from the Apulia region. This olive oil was chosen because it adhered to strict quality standards set by researchers.
After six months, the mice were subject to a variety of cognitive performance tests.
As a result, researchers discovered that the mice on the Extra Virgin Olive Oil rich diet displayed restored working and spatial memory in comparison to their baseline performance. It was also found that mice who ate Extra Virgin Olive Oil-rich diets had significantly lower peptide levels.
It was also shown to reduce tau phosphorylation, pathology and inflammation in the brains and improve neuroinflammation.
As all the above are major characteristics of the Alzheimer's disease phenotype, the study easily and positively demonstrated that EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) had a beneficial influence, with researchers concluding that the study provides "support to the positive cross-sectional and longitudinal data on this component of the Mediterranean diet, and most crucially the biological rationale to the hypothesis that Extra Virgin Olive Oil could be considered as a viable therapeutic opportunity for preventing or halting Alzheimer's disease."
