Health Matters – Olive Oil

Olive oil, which has been around for thousands of years and is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, has many health benefits. People who regularly consume olive oil as part of a healthy diet live longer and have lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and breast and colon cancers.

Olive oil is a food that contains high levels of healthy monounsaturated fats. Studies have shown that olive oil protects against heart disease by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Hardening of the arteries occurs when particles of LDL stuck to the walls of blood vessels. Eventually these particles build up and form plaque. This plaque narrows the blood vessels and increases the workload of the heart in an effort to get oxygenated blood to the entire body. The result can be a heart attack. Olive oil prevents LDL from oxidizing, (in other words, acts as an antioxidant), and thus preventing LDL from sticking to the blood vessels. Because it decreases the stress on the heart, it also has a benefit of lowering blood pressure.

It also has an anticoagulant effect on the clotting system. The body has less of an opportunity to develop clots. This aids in prevention of strokes. No other food has as high a content of monounsaturated fats as does olive oil.

One of the monounsaturated fats in olive oil, known as oleic acid, has the ability to reduce the ability of a certain gene (called an oncogene) to turn normal cells into cancer cells. This particular oncogene is associated with the rapid growth of breast cancer tumours. Oleic acid was also shown to be beneficial in treating prostate cancers.

Unlike other fats, which are associated with a higher risk of colon cancer, olive oil helps protect the cells of the colon from carcinogens. When cooking with olive oil, it reduced the amount of carcinogenic compounds in the food.

Olive oil is well tolerated by the stomach. In fact, olive oil’s protective function has a beneficial effect on ulcers and gastritis. Olive oil activates the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones more naturally than prescribed drugs. Consequently, it lowers the incidence of gallstone formation.

A team of scientists found that a substance in olive oil called polyphenols can kill Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that causes most ulcers. Chronic infection with H. pylori can also increase the risk of stomach cancer.

Diabetics benefit from the use of olive oil. In combination with a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet, olive oil is superior at controlling blood sugar levels compared to a diet that consists entirely of low-fat meals. Adding olive oil is also linked to lower triglyceride (fat) levels. Many diabetics have high triglyceride levels which put them at risk for heart disease.

These polyphenols also have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects which also promote heart health and helps protect against cancer. Studies have shown that people who consumed about 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil daily for one week had higher levels of antioxidants (substances which slow down the aging process) in the blood.

The body uses the healthy fats in olive oil to produce natural anti-inflammatory agents. These agents can help reduce the severity of arthritis and asthma. When cells are not inflamed, the walls of the cell (membrane) are more fluid and are better able to move healthy nutrients into the cells and move waste products out. A lower incidence of osteoporosis and dementia is found in areas where people consume large quantities of olive oil.

A study done on overweight men showed that with no decrease in calories and no change in physical activity, the group who used olive oil instead of oils with saturated fats had lost weight and had a lower body-fat index than the men who ate saturated fats.

Types of Olive Oil:

Extra virgin olive oil—considered the best because it’s less processed, comprising the oil from the first pressing of the olives, and has higher quantities of these disease-fighting components, especially the antioxidant, Vitamin E.

Virgin olive oil—from the second pressing.

Pure olive oil—undergoes some processing, such as filtering and refining.

Extra light olive oil—undergoes considerable processing and only retains a very mild olive flavour.

When buying olive oil, you will want to obtain a high quality extra virgin oil. The oil that comes from the first “pressing” of the olive is extracted without using heat (a cold press) or chemicals. The less the olive oil is handled, the closer it is to its natural state, and the less refined, the better the oil. Heat destroys antioxidants, so cold pressed olive oil is the best. Often the bottle will indicate that the oil was “cold pressed.”

Try to avoid “pure” and “light” olive oils. Pure oil is made by adding a little extra virgin olive oil to refined olive oil. Light olive oil is a marketing concept to allow people to think that “light” is more healthy, but it is not a classification of the grade of the oil and its definition is completely unregulated. Often light olive oil is mixed with other vegetable oils.

In storing olive oil, keep it in a cool, dark place, tightly sealed. Light, air and heat can easily turn olive oil rancid. This destroys the healthy, antioxidant properties of the oil. Therefore, buy your olive oil in darkly tinted bottles if possible.

Extra virgin olive oil is more expensive than other oils, but some foods are worth the extra money, and olive oil is one of them.