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The Goodness of Olive Oil

by Sharon Hopkins

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Olive oil the main component of Mediterranean diet is derived by crushing and then pressing fresh olives.

There are many types of olive oils available in the market through out the year. Depending on the processing the types of olive oil include - pure extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, pure and extra light olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is however considered the most health promoting as it is derived from first pressing of the olives thus has a natural delicate flavor with the goodness of more antioxidants.

Health benefits of olive oil -

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acid, a type of unsaturated fat that has health promoting properties. Olive oil is considered one of the healing fats as when it is replaced with other fats; especially saturated fats have much lower rates of heart disease, atherosclerosis, colon cancer, asthma and diabetes.

Heart health – olive oil is very protective against heart disease. It prevents oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol) and thus prevents it from sticking to the arterial walls.

It also helps to decrease the total cholesterol and doesn’t affect the high density lipoproteins (HDL cholesterol). Low cholesterol along with low oxidation of LDL helps to prevent atherosclerosis. The fatty acid that predominates in olive oil is oleic acid that is very resistant to free radical or oxidative damage. In addition to monounsaturated fat, olive oil is loaded with other powerful antioxidants that have free radical scavenging abilities like vitamin E, carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds tyrosol, hydrotyrosol, oleuropein-all and also chlorophyll. In fact it is believed that the abundant polyphenols in extra virgin oil are responsible for cardiovascular benefits rather than the monounsaturated fats alone. Olive oil also helps to maintain a healthy lining of the blood vessels and prevent high blood pressure.
Colon cancer – including olive oil in the diet may have a protective effect against colon cancer when compared to other fats. The polyphenols in olive oil have anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant and antioxidant properties that are responsible for the protective effect against colon cancer, breast cancer and osteoporosis (preventing bone loss).
A healthy meal including olive oil and low in fat have a good control over the blood sugar levels and helps to keep the triglyceride levels low in diabetic patients.

Although studies prove that olive oil when replaced with saturated fats helps to lose weight, it should be taken in recommended amounts.

Remember that any fat provides almost double the calories compared to carbohydrates or proteins.

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