Eating more than half a tablespoon of olive oil daily could lower the risk of a heart attack by 20 percent, say researchers at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health.
The consequences of a new research showing the benefits of olive oil for improved heart health among a U.S. population were recently presented at an American Heart Association's (AHA) Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Session.
All types of olive oil are a fantastic source of monounsaturated fatty acids, and the total consumption of olive oil was associated with a lower risk of CVD in our study. - Marta Guasch-Ferre, TH Chan School of Public Health
It was the first study to focus specifically on the U.S. population. Previous research on olive oil's heart health benefits had been centered on Mediterranean and European populations.
After analyzing thirty years of data, the research team concluded that eating more than a half tablespoon of olive oil per day could lower the risk of a heart attack by 20 percent, decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 15 percent and lower the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) by 21 percent.
Marta Guasch-Ferre, lead author of the study and a nutritional research scientist at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health told Olive Oil Times that the results came as no great surprise due to increasing evidence that olive oil was connected to a reduced risk of CVD.
We're expecting to find the benefits of olive oil intake . However, the majority of the previous studies showed these associations in Mediterranean and European populations but no previous study has proven the associations in the U.S. population.
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The study also suggests that other vegetable oils may also be beneficial to heart health. "What was fascinating is that while olive oil was much better than animal fat not superior to vegetable oils maybe has to do with the intake amount.
She believes that consumption of other plant oils can become healthy alternatives to animal fats particularly for customers seeking a more affordable choice to olive oil.
During this study, it was not feasible to differentiate between regular olive oil and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Although an earlier study also directed by Guasch-Ferre reasoned that EVOO exerted the many benefits for CVD.
While it is a fact that EVOO varieties have higher amounts of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and other bioactive chemicals, all sorts of olive oil are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids, and the total consumption of olive oil was associated with a lower risk of CVD in our study.
She advocated the consumption of half a tablespoon of olive oil per day as a preventative measure. "I believe that olive oil of all types is still a good option when substituting more saturated and animal fats, as revealed in our results.
She cautioned that we also need to consider in terms of what is olive oil replacing. Definitely, olive oil is a healthy option as a dressing, for cooking and baking.
Also, replacing 5g or one teaspoon of butter, mayonnaise or dairy fat with the same amount of olive oil was associated with a 5 percent reduced risk of CVD and 7 percent reduced risk of CHD.
Guasch-Ferre considers that the results encourage increasing calls to replace saturated fat and animal fat with unsaturated plant oils such as olive oil for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Although some studies have suggested that olive oil consumption reduces the risk of strokes; this research didn't. Guasch-Ferre believes the anomaly is due to significantly higher levels of olive oil being absorbed in other studies or to the higher levels of polyphenols found in EVOO.
Olive oil has long been associated with improved heart health and was hailed as the smartest heart-healthy oil in a report from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
While this was merely an observational research that doesn't conclusively prove cause and effect, it does support growing evidence that olive oil and some other plant-based oils can be beneficial to heart health.
Welcome to the 21st century, where the low-fat diet is slowly but definitely on its way out to make room for a higher fat, lower carbohydrate diet.
For decades we have been following the faulty advice to lower our fat intake to a bare minimum when increasing the amount of sugar in everything. Even a renowned brand of packaged macaroni and cheese contains added sugar, leaving us wondering why noodles and cheese may possibly have to get sweetened.
Why fat is important
Fat is a macronutrient with many benefits, one of which is the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It is also a building block of every cell membrane in the body. It provides energy, slows the absorption of other nutrients (so you feel full longer after a meal) and is required for healthy liver function. And let's face it, fat makes food taste better.
Also, did you know that the human brain is more than 50 percent fat? The brain needs fats -- and especially essential fatty acids -- for perfect health. The body doesn't synthesize essential fatty acids so it must obtain them from a healthy diet.
Olive oil is Essential to the Mediterranean diet
It is no secret that Southern Europeans who eat a more Mediterranean Diet, consisting of vegetables, fruits, a great deal of fish and a lot of olive oil, have a higher life expectancy with fewer diseases. An average, Italians and Spaniards consume about 13 gallons of olive oil per person each year. While the whole diet does play a significant role in how healthy people are, it seems the use of extra virgin olive oil is the major contributing factor to longevity and health.
In a study published in 2013, researchers followed two groups of individuals for five years. 1 group ate a higher fat Mediterranean diet while the other group followed a low-fat diet.
The higher fat group had a much lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes and much better success with weight loss.
Olive oil to reduce inflammation
The high-grade extra virgin olive oil contains around 30 polyphenols that act as antioxidants and reduce inflammation within the body. The monounsaturated fatty acids at extra virgin olive oil aid increase HDL ("good") cholesterol while decreasing LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Plus, the additional antioxidants have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Olive oil for better skin
Our European neighbors have understood for many centuries of the many benefits of olive oil -- they use it inside the body and outside! On the skin, they use it as an exfoliant blended into a sugar scrub or as a moisturizer. But you don't have to smear olive oil all over you; drinking it's going to provide known anti-aging compounds, such as antioxidants and vitamin E.
Olive oil for weight loss
In the Mediterranean, many people start their day with a quarter cup of olive oil. The oleic acid in olive oil has a satiating effect. As stated above, it also slows the absorption of other nutrients, so you'll feel full longer and won't have to reach for that mid-morning sugary snack. Even though the calories from olive oil may be high, the overall intake of calories through the day will drop when you are just not that hungry.
Olive oil for a healthy gallbladder
Drinking olive oil can greatly increase the generation of pancreatic juices and bile (which, incidentally, gives poop its brownish color). With oil, the risk of gallstones decreases and bile is important for the breakdown of fats so they can be absorbed into the intestinal wall.
Olive oil for colon health
The polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil act as antioxidants to rid the body of free radicals that could otherwise damage cells, or even lead to cancer.
A study found that drinking olive oil inhibited colon cancer at various stages of the disease. So why don't you use it to fend off cancer to start with? This is not to say that you should bypass those advocated colonoscopies after age 50, but go ahead and add olive oil to your daily regimen as a preventative measure.
Olive oil to manage blood sugar levels
Olive oil has the ability to maintain blood sugar levels low. In one study, blood sugar levels stayed lower on people who ate their meal with olive oil, compared to a bunch of individuals eating a meal made out of corn oil. This makes sense because corn is a starch and has the ability to raise blood sugar levels much more than olives.
How to start your day with olive oil
With all this talk of the great benefits of olive oil, let us talk about how to take it. We know, of course, that it may be a bit difficult to start your day with an whole shot of olive oil on an empty stomach first thing in the afternoon. In fact, if oil is absorbed in large amounts, it may actually upset the stomach that is not utilized to it. Here are a few more ways to go about it.
First, start with a tablespoon and increase the amount over time. Another choice is to mix olive oil in a blender with a cup of warm water and the juice of a lemon. It makes it much more palatable and the lemon juice can assist with the easier digestion of the oil. Additionally, lemon juice has been linked to enhanced liver function. A healthy liver produces more bile, which in turn is required for the correct breakdown of fats (and oils) in the small intestine.
Cooking with olive oil
Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil has many benefits when used properly. You may not want to cook at high temperatures, however. While it appears to be much more stable than other vegetable oils, all oils break down and lose their nutrients and flavor when cooked on high heat. Plus, the oxidation that happens during cooking may actually create compounds that attack healthy tissues in the body. For cooking at extremely high temperatures, it may be advisable to utilize a more stable fat that's a shorter chain fatty acid, like coconut oil or avocado oil.
So, instead of ingesting olive oil and shedding the health benefits, pour yourself a tiny shot to get your day started. Bottoms up!
