Olive oil is the oil extracted from olives, and is known for its rich flavor and versatility, and it is the type of healthy fat that has been linked to several health benefits.
A tablespoon of olive oil (about 14 grams) contains the following nutrients:
- Calories: 119
- Saturated fat: 14% of total calories
- Monounsaturated fat: 73% of total calories (mostly oleic acid)
- Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA): 11% of total calories
- Vitamin E: 13% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin K: 7% of the DV
The benefits of olive oil seem endless, and it adds luxurious richness to your diet while actively healing many systems of your body (including your heart, pancreas, endocrine system, and gut biome).
Here are a few of the main benefits of including generous amounts of olive oil in your diet:
- It is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats
The predominant fatty acid in olive oil is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, making up 73% of the total oil content. Monounsaturated fats are also quite resistant to high heat, making extra virgin olive oil a healthy choice for cooking.
- It reduces Type 2-diabetes
Olive oil seems to protect the body against type 2 diabetes, and olive oil has been linked in studies to the beneficial effects on blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
- It improves heart health
Various studies indicated that extra virgin olive oil has powerful benefits to the heart. It lowers inflammation, it protects “bad” LDL cholesterol from oxidation, it improves the lining of your blood vessels and may help prevent excessive blood clotting. It has also been shown to lower blood pressure and keep your arteries from hardening, which is a risk factors for heart disease.
- It is high in antioxidants
Olive oil is loaded with powerful antioxidants and is rich in polyphenols – which is a type of antioxidant that fights oxidative stress. This means that these antioxidants fight inflammation and helps to protect your blood cholesterol from oxidation (therefore lowering heart disease) and may reduce your risk of chronic diseases.
The antioxidants in olive oil have also been linked to anti-cancer properties. It is said that olive oil can reduce oxidative damage due to free radicals (unstable atoms in your body that damages your cells), which is believed to be a leading driver of cancer.
- It is anti-inflammatory
Chronic inflammation is thought to be a leading driver of chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and even obesity. It has been seen that extra-virgin olive oil can reduce inflammation.
Oleocanthal, present in olive oil, has been shown to work similarly to ibuprofen. Some scientists estimate that the oleocanthal in 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil has a similar effect as 10% of the adult dosage of ibuprofen.
Research also suggests that oleic acid, the main fatty acid in olive oil, can reduce levels of important inflammatory markers.
- It may help prevent strokes
A stroke is caused by a disturbance of blood flow to your brain, either due to a blood clot or due to bleeding. A study has found that olive oil was the only source of monounsaturated fat associated with a reduced risk of stroke and heart disease.
This means that by replacing less healthy fats with olive oil in your diet it may lower your chance of getting a stroke by more than 40%.
- It can help treat rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by deformed and painful joints. Olive oil supplements appear to improve inflammatory markers and reduces oxidative stress in individuals with arthritis.
- It can boost your brain
Another bonus of an olive-oil heavy diet is that it can give your brain a boost. Studies show that it can help you think, understand, and remember better, and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Other benefits of olive oil that has been seen but is less known includes the following: it helps to prevent osteoporosis, it reduces the signs of aging, it promotes a healthy gut, it can help birth outcomes and child development, and it is immune boosting,
However, it is also extremely important to buy the right kind of olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil retains some of the antioxidants and bioactive compounds from olives. For this reason, it’s considered healthier than the more refined variety of olive oil. It is also the least processed variety as it is extracted using natural methods and standardized for purity and certain sensory qualities, such as taste and smell.
Even so, there is a lot of fraud on the olive oil market, as many oils that read “extra virgin” on the label have been diluted with other refined oils. We suggest that you examine labels carefully to ensure that you are getting real extra virgin olive oil.
For a very interesting interview with an olive oil expert on how to buy the best olive oil, listen to: https://www.maxlugavere.com/podcast/nicholas-coleman-olive-oil