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Antioxidants - Olive oil has a low acidity making it rich in antioxidants and phenols which help fight harmful free radicals. |
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Vitamins - One tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil provides 8% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant. It is also rich in Vitamins K, D and A. |
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Cholesterol - There are three types of dietary fat:saturated, polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated. Both polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats can lower blood cholesterol levels, as they are lower in the Low Density Lipids (LDL), know as bad cholesterol and higher in High Density Lipids (HDL) or good cholesterol. LDL oxidation is a step towards arteriosclerosis. which in turn leads to coronary heart disease. High levels of natural antioxidants in Extra Virgin Olive Oil prevent the oxidation of LDL. Olive oil contains no cholesterol. |
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Calcium Absorption - Olive oil helps prevent osteoporosis in adults by increasing calcium absorption and bone mineralisation. It promotes bone development & growth in children. |
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Brain Development - Olive oil helps brain & nervous system development and function due to the high content of mono-unsaturated fats. Evidence shows that higher consumption of olive oil diminishes age-related memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. |
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Aging - Studies indicate that diets deficient in vitamin E accelerate the breakdown of certain fatty acids, a process which invariably leads to aging. The vitamin E content in olive oil provides a defense against this and helps maintain mental faculties and muscular control longer and better. |
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Heart - According to the Food and Drug Administration, consuming about 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day may reduce your risk of heart disease. You can get the most benefit by substituting oil oil for saturated fats rather than just adding more olive oil to your diet. |
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Diabetes - An olive rich diet is not only a good alterative in the treatment of diabetes; it may also help prevent or delay the onset of the disease by preventing insulin resistance and its possible harmful implications by raising HDL cholesterol, lowering triglycerides and ensuring better blood sugar level control while lowering blood pressure. |
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Cancer - Epidemiological studies suggest olive oil has a protective effect against breast, prostate, ovarian and colon cancer. Research has revealed that the type rather than the quantity of fat seems to have more implications for cancer incidence. Olive oil is high in antioxidants, chemicals that fight cancer. It also contains, oleic acid, a fatty acid that is believed to suppress a gene responsible for over 25% of breast cancers. |
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Arthritis - A study in Greece showed that people who had the lowest lifetime consumption of Extra Virgin Olive Oil had 2.5 times greater possibility of developing rheumatoid arthritis compared to those with the highest lifetime consumption. A rheumatologist of the arthritis foundation cites that adding olive oil , especially extra virgin , to your diet could help you protect against rheumatoid arthritis. |
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Blood Pressure - It has been demonstrated that the addition of olive oil to a diet that has not changed in any other way has a lowering effect on blood pressure. |
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Immune System - Olive oil helps protect the immune system against external attacks from microorganisms, bacteria and viruses. The fatty acids in olive oil are good allies in lowering important immunologist parameters. |
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Weight Loss - Like all other fats and oils, olive oil is high in calories (all cooking oils have about 120 calories per tablespoon) which could suggest that it would contribute to obesity. However, evidence shows that there is less obesity among Mediterranean people - the largest consumers of olive oil in the world. It has been demonstrated that an olive oil rich diet leads to greater and longer lasting weight loss than a low fat diet. |
