Colavita: Olive Oil Health Q&A

Benefits of Olive Oil

What are the health benefits I can get from switching to olive oil?

Olive oil has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. ^*

^* Keys A, Menotti A, Karvonen MJ, et al (December 1986). The diet and 15-year death rate in the seven countries study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 124 (6): 903–15.ts.

How does olive oil prevent heart disease?

Olive oil has a very high proportion of monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid.

^* Olive oil, Wikipedia.

Does olive oil contain any vitamins and nutrients?

Olive oil is high in the antioxidants Vitamin A and E which helps neutralise cancer-causing free radicals in our body. ^*

^* Facts about olive oil, International Olive Oil Council.

What are monounsaturated fats?

Monounsaturated fats are found in certain natural foods such as olive oil. Monounsaturated fatty acids promote insulin resistance, which lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol.s ^*

^* You Can Control Your Cholesterol: A Guide to Low-Cholesterol Living. Merck & Co. Inc.

What is LDL and HDL cholesterol?

LDL cholesterol is commonly known as "bad cholesterol" while HDL cholesterol is known as "good cholesterol". Olive oil lowers the bad cholesterol in your system and raises the good cholesterol to prevent heart disease. ^* Consuming olive oil is good for your health!

^* LDL and HDL Cholesterol: What's Bad and What's Good? American Heart Association

How much olive oil should I consume to reduce my risk of coronary heart disease?

Scientific studies suggest that eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily will reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. ^*

^* United States Food and Drug Administration Site

Can olive oil help with high blood pressure or asthma?

There is a large body of evidence from clinical data which shows that olive oil can also provide anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, anti-hypertensive as well as vasodilatory effects in humans. ^* Thus, if you have high blood pressure or asthma, olive oil would be beneficial for you too!

^* Olive Oil for Blood Pressure Reduction, Departments of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Drs Ferrara, Raimondi, Guida, and Marotta, and Ms d'Episcopo) and Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnologies (Mr Dello Russo), Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy.

I have heard that olive oil can help with breast cancer. Is that true?

Recent research suggests that olive oil slowed breast cancer in rats. This study compared a corn oil diet to an olive oil diet and showed that a corn oil diet stimulated more cancers than a control diet while olive oil led to fewer and smaller tumors than the control diet. ^*

^*Olive Oil vs. Breast Cancer, WebMD Heath News.

Would olive oil lower my risk of a stroke?

Clinical evidence also suggests that olive oil’s phenolic content reduces vascular stress and consequentially significantly lowers the risk of heart attacks and stroke. ⁸

Extra virgin olive oil has the highest amount of polyphenol antioxidants.

^* Heart Disease and Olive Oil, The Olive Oil Source.