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Olive Oil & Health
Olive Oil contains a good amount of vitamin E, provitamin A (carotene), monounsaturated (oleic) fatty acids, polyunsaturated (linolenic) fatty acids, a small amount of saturated fatty acids and 9 calories per gram. The human body can produce most of the fatty acids found in foods but it cannot make either oleic or linolenic acids which are called essential fatty acids. Olive oil contains both of these making it a valuable and important dietary supplement.
Because virgin olive oil is a completely untreated natural food, it is rich
in antioxidants and vitamins, which help to prevent body cell ageing. Oils
and fats are essentials in a well balanced diet as they are a rich source
of energy.
In general those people living in the Mediterranean eating a typical Mediterranean
diet live long and healthy lives compared with their western counterparts.
They are less likely to be obese, they have fewer heart attacks and lower
incidence of breast cancer, bowel cancer and diabetes. Medical research
supports the assertion that their health is due in large part to their diet.
Mediterranean diets are high in cereals, vegetables, legumes, fruit and
fish with small quantities of meat and diary products. Olive oil is their
major source of fat and the foods they eat are mostly eaten fresh ratber
than being processed. In stark contrast the typical Western diet is low
in cereals and vegetable, legumes, fruits, nuts, red wine and olive oil.
It is a diet high in sugar and saturated fats found in fast food, processed
food, meat and dairy products.
Olive Oil and Heart Disease:
Nutritional research studies carried out
during the 1950's showed that in Greece and Crete there was the lowest incidence
of heart disease although people living in these regions bad high total
fat intake. The fat came only from one source Olive oil. This and following
startling research came up with amazing evidence about the nature of cholesterol.
There are two types of cholesterol, low density lipoprotenis (LDL) and high
density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL transport and deposit cholestorol in the
tissues and arteries. LDL increases with the excessive consumption of saturated
fatty acids and is potentially harmfull. HDL on the other hand eliminates
cholesterol from the cells and carries it to the liver where it is passed
out through the bile ducts. Polyunsaturates reduce both LDL and HDL but
monounsaturates reduce LDL while increasing HDL. An increase in HDL will
not only provide protection against cholestorol deposits but will actually
reduce cholesterol levels in the body.
Attention has focused recently on antioxidants since medical research has
shown that cholestorol in blood is damaging when it oxidizes. Antioxidants
prevent this occuring. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has somewhere in the region
of 30 to 40 different antioxidants neutralising oxidation products formed
by LDL.
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Olive Oil and Breast Cancer:
Some of the polyphenol antioxidants may have
the ability to destroy substances that lead to proliferation of cells in
the development of cancer. Further research is needed to work out how this
protection occurs but evidence shows that women in Mediterranean countries
have much less breast cancer than the high rates in such countries as the
United States and Australia.
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Olive Oil and Infancy:
Olive oil contains Vitamin E, has a balanced linoleic and linoleic acid ratio similar to that found in breast milk. It aids normal bone growth and is particularly suitable for expectant and nursing mothers because it encourages the development of the infants brain and nervous system before and after birth.
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Olive Oil and Ageing:
The defence mechanism that vitamin E provides
through its antioxidant properties is also vital in the ageing process.
Mice fed on olive oil have a longer life expectancy than those fed on sunflower
and corn oil. Bone calcification is another problem common in the elderly.
Olive oil seems to have a positive effect, because the more olive oil is
ingested the better the bone mineralization obtained. Olive oil would appear
to be necessary during growth and later in adulthood to avoid calcium loss.
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Olive Oil and Diabetes:
An excess of the type of polyunsaturated
fat found in many vegetable oils and margarine may be the cause of the alarmingly
increasing rate of non-insulin dependent diabetes in western countries.
Olive oil provides a better balance of fats within the cell mebranes. The
other reason olive oil is recommended for diabetics is of course the advice
given to sufferers to consume less saturated fat. Olive oil is low in saturated
fat and high in monounsaturates.
From all of this evidence doctors and nutritionists consider extra virgin olive oil as having the most balanced composition of fatty acids of all
edible vegetable oils.
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Olive Oil and Digestive System:
Due to its chemical structure, olive oil is of unrivalled organoleptic value. It is very well tolerated by the stomach. In fact, its protective function has a beneficial effect on gastritis and inflammation.. It activates the secretion of pancreatic hormones and bile much more naturally than prescribed drugs. Consequently, it lowers the incidence of gallstone formation. Its excellent digestibility promotes the overall absorption of nutrients, especially vitamins and mineral salts. It has a positive effect on constipation.