OLIVE OIL " MAGIC HEALTHY CURING DRUG "
Health Benefits of Olive Oil
Although higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, and legumes provide significant health benefits and protection from CVD, olive oil is independently protective (Grosso et al. 2015). In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a qualified health claim for olive oil. The Qualified Health Claim Statement reads: “Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day” (FDA 2014). Only certain foods can be labeled with the qualified health claim for olive oil. These include products that are pure olive oil, salad dressings that contain 6 g or more of olive oil but less than 4 g of saturated fat per reference serving, margarines that contain 6 g or more of olive oil and are low in cholesterol, and certain olive oil containing foods such as sauces and baked goods. As a result of this health claim, the American Heart Association has approved a Health-Check logo for olive oil (American Heart Association 2016). Since the FDA qualified health claim was approved in 2004, the effect of olive oil on coronary heart disease has been questioned. In a large case-control study (comparing people with and without the disease), exclusive olive oil intake was associated with a lower likelihood of developing coronary artery disease, independent of adherence to the Mediterranean diet as a whole (Dimitriou et al. 2015). However, a recent review of studies found no association of olive oil intake and coronary heart disease (Martinez-Gonzalez, Dominguez, and Delgado-Rodriguez 2014). In addition, a study that tested the effects of providing extra-virgin olive oil to people at high risk of cardiovascular disease showed that consuming olive oil, compared to a low-fat diet, was associated with lower risk of stroke, but not heart attack— the end result of coronary heart disease (Estruch, Ros, and Martinez-Gonzalez 2013). Olive oil may have a role in the prevention (Lopez et al. 2016) and treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) (Fito et al. 2005). Virgin and refined olive oil (about 3 tablespoons per day) were compared in men with coronary heart disease (Fito et al. 2005). Consuming virgin olive oil rich in phenolic compounds was shown to have antioxidant properties and reduce blood pressure in these patients. Health Benefits of Olive Oil and Olive Extracts
A diet including olive oil has also been shown to improve blood cholesterol. Refined olive oil was compared to butter in a recent study. Consuming olive oil decreased total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol compared to butter (Engel and Tholstrup 2015 ), which may decrease risk of a heart attack or stroke. Also, supplementation of extra-virgin olive oil (about 2 tablespoons per day) in adults over 50 years of age led to decreased total and LDL cholesterol within 6 weeks (Haban et al. 2004).
Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
Consuming olive oil may help prevent type 2 diabetes (T2D) (Guasch-Ferre 2015; Storniolo et al. 2015; SalasSalvado et al. 2014 ). Providing extra-virgin olive oil to adults at high risk for cardiovascular disease reduced the risk of T2D by 40% in only 4 years (Storniolo et al. 2015). A population study in Spain showed that those who consumed olive oil compared to sunflower oil had less risk of impaired glucose regulation (Soriguer et al. 2013), a condition which often leads to the development of T2D.
Cancer Prevention
There is some scientific evidence to support a link between olive oil intake and cancer prevention (Psaltopoulou et al. 2013). Specifically, people with the highest olive oil intake have less risk of any type of cancer compared to those with the lowest intake. Consuming olive oil may also decrease the risk of breast cancer (Xin et al. 2015) and cancers of the digestive system, such as oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal (throat), and it is slightly protective for colon cancer ( Psaltopoulou et al. 2013). There seems to be no link between olive oil intake and prostate, lung, or ovarian cancer risk, but there may be a protective effect of olive oil on laryngeal and stomach cancer risk (Psaltopoulou et al. 2013).
Inflammation
Inflammation is the body’s beneficial response to tissue injury. However, chronic inflammation contributes to the development of many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders. A commonly used indicator of inflammation is C-reactive protein or CRP in the blood. In a review of 30 studies examining the effect of olive oil on markers of inflammation, olive oil showed a favorable effect on CRP levels (Schwingshackl, Christoph, and Hoffmann 2015). In patients with coronary heart disease, 3 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil lowered levels of CRP compared to refined olive oil (Fito et al. 2008 ). Also, in persons with HIV, daily consumption of about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil lowered levels of CRP (Kozic et al. 2015).
Olive Extracts
Recent research has shown protective health effects of consuming certain polyphenolic-rich foods (Del Rio 2013). Olives and virgin olive oil contain phenolics or polyphenols, mainly flavonoids. Tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol are the most abundant polyphenols found in olives. As olives ripen, the levels of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol increase within the fruit (Ghanbari et al. 2012). Harvesting and processing olives at optimal ripeness leads to olive oil with a high content of phenolic compounds. Although there are known health benefits of olive oil because of its monounsaturated fat content, a question remains if the high phenolic content has added benefits. Higher olive oil intake is related to a lower risk of death, and the benefit may be due to more than just the high level of monounsaturated fat, since consumption of monounsaturated fat from mixed plant and animal sources has not shown the same positive effect (Schwingshackl and Hoffmann 2014). A review of eight studies examined the health effects of olive oil with high and low levels of phenolics in healthy adults and individuals with heart disease, hypertension, and various metabolic disorders (Hohmann et al. 2015). Consumption of olive oil (less than 2 tablespoons per day) with high levels of phenolics lowered blood pressure and oxLDL (serum oxidative status). An olive polyphenol extract also decreased total and LDL cholesterol in postmenopausal women (Filip et al. 2015). In addition, olive phenolics may also be beneficial to bone health. Calcium supplements with and without olive extracts were tested on bone health in postmenopausal women with osteopenia (Filip et al. 2015), a condition where bone mineral density is lower than normal. Bone mineral density remained stable in the olive extract group, but decreased in the calcium-only group.
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