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Health
Olive oil's health benefits as published by the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01037
We LOVE Healthy Fats
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consuming about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day may reduce your risk of heart disease. You can get the most benefit by substituting olive oil for saturated fats rather than just adding more olive oil to your diet.
All types of olive oil contain monounsaturated fat, but "extra-virgin" or "virgin" olive oils are the least processed forms, so they're the most heart healthy. Those types contain the highest levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant that also can promote heart health.
Heart Health (link)
Olive Oil Highly Protective against Heart Disease
Relying only on olive oil may cut your risk of coronary heart disease almost in half, show results from the CARDIO2000 case-control study, published in Clinical Cardiology (Kontogianni MD, Panagiotakos DB, et al.).
Conducted in Greece, and involving 700 men and 148 women with coronary heart disease, and 1078 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, this study looked not only at diet but also at alcohol intake, physical activity and smoking habits. Nutritional habits, including use of oils in daily cooking or preparation of food, was also evaluated.
Even after adjustments were made to account for a variety of other variables -- including body mass index, smoking, physical activity level, educational status, a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes -- exclusive use of olive oil was associated with a 47% lower likelihood of having coronary heart disease.
Consuming other fats or oils as well as olive oil, however, conferred no protection.
The researchers concluded, "Exclusive use of olive oil during food preparation seems to offer significant protection against coronary heart disease, irrespective of various clinical, lifestyle and other characteristics of the participants."
Practical Tips:
Instead of serving butter, fill a small condiment dish with extra virgin olive oil for use on bread, rolls, potatoes or other vegetables.
For even more flavor, try adding a few drops of balsamic vinegar or a sprinkling of your favorite spices to the olive oil.
To get the most health benefit and flavor from your olive oil, buy and store oil in opaque containers, and add olive oil to foods immediately after cooking.
Studies on olive oil and atherosclerosis reveal that particles of LDL cholesterol (the potentially harmful cholesterol) that contain the monounsaturated fats of olive oil are less likely to become oxidized.
Since only oxidized cholesterol sticks to artery walls, eventually forming the plaques that can lead to a heart attack or stroke, preventing the oxidation of cholesterol is a good way to help prevent atherosclerosis. A recent in vitro study also showed that polyphenolic compounds present in olive oil, including oleuropein, inhibit the adhesion of monocyte cells to the blood vessel lining, a process that is involved in the development of atherosclerosis. In addition, when people with high cholesterol levels removed the saturated fat from their diets and replaced it with olive oil, their total cholesterol levels dropped an average of 13.4%, and their LDL cholesterol levels dropped by 18%. Note, however, that these benefits occurred when they used olive oil in place of other fats, rather than simply adding olive oil to a diet high in unhealthy fats.
A study published in the Medical Science Monitor reported that 2 tablespoons a day of olive oil added to an otherwise unchanged diet in 28 outpatients, ranging in age from 64 to 71, resulted in significant drops in total- and LDL cholesterol. Mean concentrations of total cholesterol were lowered by 0.818 mmol/L, and mean concentrations of LDL dropped 0.782 mmol/L. Plus, subjects ratio of HDL:LDL greatly improved; they ended up with higher amounts of protective HDL in relation to lower amounts of dangerous LDL cholesterol.
Three other recent studies (Valavanidis et al.; Morella et al.; Masella et al., see references below) suggest that such heart-healthy effects from olive oil are due not only to its high content of monounsaturated fats, but also to its hefty concentration of antioxidants, including chlorophyll, carotenoids and the polyphenolic compounds tyrosol, hydrotyrosol and oleuropein-all of which not only have free radical scavenging abilities, but protect the vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) also found in olive oil.
Greek scientists at the University of Athens reporting their research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry believe the synergy of all these beneficial nutrients is what is responsible for olive oil's contribution to the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, a hypothesis supported by Italian research published in the Journal of Nutrition.
In this study, scientists found that the phenols in olive oil have very potent antioxidant effects. The protective effects exerted by extra virgin olive oil biophenols, namely, protocatechuic acid and oleuropein, against LDL oxidation included:
completely preventing LDL's oxidation when placed in a medium containing macrophage-like cells (in the arteries, arteriosclerosis begins when macrophages damage LDL, starting the development of foam cells that infiltrate the lining of the artery and begin plaque
formation) inhibiting the production of two powerful oxidants that would normally
have been produced and would have damaged LDL, thus preventing the expected decrease in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant the bodyproduces to disarm oxidants (also called free radicals)
restoring to normal levels the protective activities of two free radical-disarming enzymes that contain glutathione: glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase inducing higher than normal production and activity of both of these
glutathione-containing enzymes.
Olive Oil, Super Food for the Heart
A review of the research by noted olive oil researcher Maria Covas strongly suggests that diets in which olive oil is the main source of fat can be a useful tool against a wide variety of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. (Covas MI, Pharmacology Research)
On November 2004, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S.A permitted a claim on olive oil labels concerning: "the benefits on the risk of coronary heart disease of eating about two tablespoons (23 g) of olive oil daily, due to the monounsaturated fat (MUFA) in olive oil."
But recent studies have shown that olive oil contains much more than MUFA. Olive oil is a functional food that is also rich in antioxidants and phenolic compounds with a variety of protective effects.
The cholesterol of a person whose diet is high in olive oil will primarily contain oleic acid, the fatty acid that predominates in olive oil, and oleic acid is more resistant to free radical or oxidative damage. And not only will the LDL of a person whose dietary fat is primarily olive oil produce LDL that is more resistant to free radical damage, but that individual's LDL will be further protected by olive oil's supplies of vitamin E and phenols with antioxidant activity, further lessening the likelihood of its being oxidized.
By reducing both inflammation and free radical damage to cholesterol, dietary olive oil protects the endothelium, the lining of our blood vessels, helping to maintain its ability to relax and dilate (thus preventing high blood pressure).
By protecting LDL against oxidation, olive oil short circuits the process through which atherosclerotic plaques form. (Only once oxidized does LDL adhere to the endothelium, attracting immune cells (monocytes) that try to clear it out, turn into foam cells and begin plaque formation.)
The anti-inflammatory effects of a virgin olive oil-rich diet also result in a vascular environment in which platelets are less likely to clump together and form blood clots. Not only do olive oil's antioxidant compounds lessen the inflammation initiated by free radical damage, but olive oil is rich in inhibitors of a compound called platelet activating factor (PAF). PAF begins the clotting process by causing platelets to aggregate and is also involved in the activation of immune cells and their binding to the endothelial wall.
Compared to diets high in saturated fat and low fat, high carbohydrate diets, a number of studies have shown that olive oil-rich diets not only reduce LDL cholesterol levels, but also lower blood sugar levels and decrease insulin requirements in persons with type 2 diabetes.
Practical Tip: Rely on delicious, flavorful virgin olive oil as your first choice for dressing salads. Put a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your bread plate and use it to add flavor to crusty whole wheat bread and rolls. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes, beans, grains, steamed vegetables, and soups. You will not only enhance the flavor of your food, but greatly reduce your cardiovascular disease risk.
Virgin Olive Oil the Best Oil for Heart Health
Virgin olive oil, a much richer source of polyphenols than refined olive or other refined oils, is the best vegetable oil for heart health, shows the results of the Eurolive study, published in the September 2006 Annals of Internal Medicine.
The 6 research center study, led by Maria-Isabel Covas of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, assigned 200 healthy men from 5 European countries - Spain, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Germany - to one of three sequences of daily consumption of olive oil. The men replaced their normal dietary fats with olive oil (25 mL) containing either 2.7 (refined), 164 (virgin), or 366 (extra virgin) mg/kg of phenols for 3 weeks. This was followed by 2 weeks without any olive oil and then a cross-over to each of the other 2 remaining interventions.
Blood samples were taken before and after each intervention to measure blood sugar, total and HDL (good) cholesterol, triglycerides, free radical damage to cholesterol, and antioxidant levels.
The data revealed a linear increase in HDL (good) cholesterol levels as the phenolic content of the olive oil increased, with increases of 0.025, 0.032, and 0.045 mmol/L for the low, medium and high polyphenol-containing olive oils.
Oxidized LDL (the form in which LDL is involved in atherosclerosis) decreased linearly, dropping from 1.21 U/L , to -1.48 U/L , to -3.21 U/L for the low-, medium-, and high-polyphenol olive oil, respectively. And the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, considered the most specific cholesterol-associated risk factor for cardiovascular disease, also decreased linearly as the phenolic content of the olive oil rose.
"Olive oil is more than a monounsaturated fat. Its phenolic content can also provide benefits for plasma lipid levels and oxidative damage," concluded the researchers.
A statement released by the Municipal Institute of Medical Research noted, 'This study represents a key piece for recommendations and contributes information with great repercussions for the community especially in populations or countries where olive oil does not comprise the habitual oil of the diet."
Extra virgin olive oil-organic, if available-may cost a bit more than lesser quality oils, but the significant increase in cardiovascular benefits, not to mention richer flavor it provides, make it an extremely good investment in your health.
(Information from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132)
Olive Oil as an Anti Inflammatory
Philadelphia, PA - Diets rich in olive oil have been associated with numerous health benefits, including antiplatelet activity [ 1 ], but the mechanism behind these effects has remained obscure. A team of researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center (University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA) has discovered that oleocanthal, a component found in extra-virgin olive oil, is "a natura anti-inflammatory compound that has a potency and profile strikingly similar to that of ibuprofen" [ 2 ].
We feel that oleocanthal may be a possible bridge between the diet's and the NSAIDs' benefits. "Chronic use of aspirin and ibuprofen are associated with reduced risk of several diseases, including vascular disease (cardiac and brain), some cancers (breast, lung, colon) and dementias including Alzheimer's disease. The Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil is associated with the same reduction of disease risks. We feel that oleocanthal may be a possible bridge between the diet's and the NSAIDs' benefits," senior author Dr Paul AS Breslin tells rheuma wire .
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/538330
We LOVE Healthy Fats
| When choosing fats, olive oil is a healthy choice. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat, a healthier type of fat that can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in your blood. In contrast, saturated and trans fats — such as butter, animal fats, tropical oils and partially hydrogenated oils — increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL cholesterol levels. |
 |
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consuming about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day may reduce your risk of heart disease. You can get the most benefit by substituting olive oil for saturated fats rather than just adding more olive oil to your diet.
All types of olive oil contain monounsaturated fat, but "extra-virgin" or "virgin" olive oils are the least processed forms, so they're the most heart healthy. Those types contain the highest levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant that also can promote heart health.
Heart Health (link)
Olive Oil Highly Protective against Heart Disease
Relying only on olive oil may cut your risk of coronary heart disease almost in half, show results from the CARDIO2000 case-control study, published in Clinical Cardiology (Kontogianni MD, Panagiotakos DB, et al.).
Conducted in Greece, and involving 700 men and 148 women with coronary heart disease, and 1078 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, this study looked not only at diet but also at alcohol intake, physical activity and smoking habits. Nutritional habits, including use of oils in daily cooking or preparation of food, was also evaluated.
Even after adjustments were made to account for a variety of other variables -- including body mass index, smoking, physical activity level, educational status, a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes -- exclusive use of olive oil was associated with a 47% lower likelihood of having coronary heart disease.
Consuming other fats or oils as well as olive oil, however, conferred no protection.
The researchers concluded, "Exclusive use of olive oil during food preparation seems to offer significant protection against coronary heart disease, irrespective of various clinical, lifestyle and other characteristics of the participants."
Practical Tips:
Instead of serving butter, fill a small condiment dish with extra virgin olive oil for use on bread, rolls, potatoes or other vegetables.
For even more flavor, try adding a few drops of balsamic vinegar or a sprinkling of your favorite spices to the olive oil.
To get the most health benefit and flavor from your olive oil, buy and store oil in opaque containers, and add olive oil to foods immediately after cooking.
Studies on olive oil and atherosclerosis reveal that particles of LDL cholesterol (the potentially harmful cholesterol) that contain the monounsaturated fats of olive oil are less likely to become oxidized.
Since only oxidized cholesterol sticks to artery walls, eventually forming the plaques that can lead to a heart attack or stroke, preventing the oxidation of cholesterol is a good way to help prevent atherosclerosis. A recent in vitro study also showed that polyphenolic compounds present in olive oil, including oleuropein, inhibit the adhesion of monocyte cells to the blood vessel lining, a process that is involved in the development of atherosclerosis. In addition, when people with high cholesterol levels removed the saturated fat from their diets and replaced it with olive oil, their total cholesterol levels dropped an average of 13.4%, and their LDL cholesterol levels dropped by 18%. Note, however, that these benefits occurred when they used olive oil in place of other fats, rather than simply adding olive oil to a diet high in unhealthy fats.
A study published in the Medical Science Monitor reported that 2 tablespoons a day of olive oil added to an otherwise unchanged diet in 28 outpatients, ranging in age from 64 to 71, resulted in significant drops in total- and LDL cholesterol. Mean concentrations of total cholesterol were lowered by 0.818 mmol/L, and mean concentrations of LDL dropped 0.782 mmol/L. Plus, subjects ratio of HDL:LDL greatly improved; they ended up with higher amounts of protective HDL in relation to lower amounts of dangerous LDL cholesterol.
Three other recent studies (Valavanidis et al.; Morella et al.; Masella et al., see references below) suggest that such heart-healthy effects from olive oil are due not only to its high content of monounsaturated fats, but also to its hefty concentration of antioxidants, including chlorophyll, carotenoids and the polyphenolic compounds tyrosol, hydrotyrosol and oleuropein-all of which not only have free radical scavenging abilities, but protect the vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) also found in olive oil.
Greek scientists at the University of Athens reporting their research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry believe the synergy of all these beneficial nutrients is what is responsible for olive oil's contribution to the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, a hypothesis supported by Italian research published in the Journal of Nutrition.
In this study, scientists found that the phenols in olive oil have very potent antioxidant effects. The protective effects exerted by extra virgin olive oil biophenols, namely, protocatechuic acid and oleuropein, against LDL oxidation included:
completely preventing LDL's oxidation when placed in a medium containing macrophage-like cells (in the arteries, arteriosclerosis begins when macrophages damage LDL, starting the development of foam cells that infiltrate the lining of the artery and begin plaque
formation) inhibiting the production of two powerful oxidants that would normally
have been produced and would have damaged LDL, thus preventing the expected decrease in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant the bodyproduces to disarm oxidants (also called free radicals)
restoring to normal levels the protective activities of two free radical-disarming enzymes that contain glutathione: glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase inducing higher than normal production and activity of both of these
glutathione-containing enzymes.
Olive Oil, Super Food for the Heart
A review of the research by noted olive oil researcher Maria Covas strongly suggests that diets in which olive oil is the main source of fat can be a useful tool against a wide variety of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. (Covas MI, Pharmacology Research)
On November 2004, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S.A permitted a claim on olive oil labels concerning: "the benefits on the risk of coronary heart disease of eating about two tablespoons (23 g) of olive oil daily, due to the monounsaturated fat (MUFA) in olive oil."
But recent studies have shown that olive oil contains much more than MUFA. Olive oil is a functional food that is also rich in antioxidants and phenolic compounds with a variety of protective effects.
The cholesterol of a person whose diet is high in olive oil will primarily contain oleic acid, the fatty acid that predominates in olive oil, and oleic acid is more resistant to free radical or oxidative damage. And not only will the LDL of a person whose dietary fat is primarily olive oil produce LDL that is more resistant to free radical damage, but that individual's LDL will be further protected by olive oil's supplies of vitamin E and phenols with antioxidant activity, further lessening the likelihood of its being oxidized.
By reducing both inflammation and free radical damage to cholesterol, dietary olive oil protects the endothelium, the lining of our blood vessels, helping to maintain its ability to relax and dilate (thus preventing high blood pressure).
By protecting LDL against oxidation, olive oil short circuits the process through which atherosclerotic plaques form. (Only once oxidized does LDL adhere to the endothelium, attracting immune cells (monocytes) that try to clear it out, turn into foam cells and begin plaque formation.)
The anti-inflammatory effects of a virgin olive oil-rich diet also result in a vascular environment in which platelets are less likely to clump together and form blood clots. Not only do olive oil's antioxidant compounds lessen the inflammation initiated by free radical damage, but olive oil is rich in inhibitors of a compound called platelet activating factor (PAF). PAF begins the clotting process by causing platelets to aggregate and is also involved in the activation of immune cells and their binding to the endothelial wall.
Compared to diets high in saturated fat and low fat, high carbohydrate diets, a number of studies have shown that olive oil-rich diets not only reduce LDL cholesterol levels, but also lower blood sugar levels and decrease insulin requirements in persons with type 2 diabetes.
Practical Tip: Rely on delicious, flavorful virgin olive oil as your first choice for dressing salads. Put a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your bread plate and use it to add flavor to crusty whole wheat bread and rolls. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes, beans, grains, steamed vegetables, and soups. You will not only enhance the flavor of your food, but greatly reduce your cardiovascular disease risk.
Virgin Olive Oil the Best Oil for Heart Health
Virgin olive oil, a much richer source of polyphenols than refined olive or other refined oils, is the best vegetable oil for heart health, shows the results of the Eurolive study, published in the September 2006 Annals of Internal Medicine.
The 6 research center study, led by Maria-Isabel Covas of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, assigned 200 healthy men from 5 European countries - Spain, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Germany - to one of three sequences of daily consumption of olive oil. The men replaced their normal dietary fats with olive oil (25 mL) containing either 2.7 (refined), 164 (virgin), or 366 (extra virgin) mg/kg of phenols for 3 weeks. This was followed by 2 weeks without any olive oil and then a cross-over to each of the other 2 remaining interventions.
Blood samples were taken before and after each intervention to measure blood sugar, total and HDL (good) cholesterol, triglycerides, free radical damage to cholesterol, and antioxidant levels.
The data revealed a linear increase in HDL (good) cholesterol levels as the phenolic content of the olive oil increased, with increases of 0.025, 0.032, and 0.045 mmol/L for the low, medium and high polyphenol-containing olive oils.
Oxidized LDL (the form in which LDL is involved in atherosclerosis) decreased linearly, dropping from 1.21 U/L , to -1.48 U/L , to -3.21 U/L for the low-, medium-, and high-polyphenol olive oil, respectively. And the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, considered the most specific cholesterol-associated risk factor for cardiovascular disease, also decreased linearly as the phenolic content of the olive oil rose.
"Olive oil is more than a monounsaturated fat. Its phenolic content can also provide benefits for plasma lipid levels and oxidative damage," concluded the researchers.
A statement released by the Municipal Institute of Medical Research noted, 'This study represents a key piece for recommendations and contributes information with great repercussions for the community especially in populations or countries where olive oil does not comprise the habitual oil of the diet."
Extra virgin olive oil-organic, if available-may cost a bit more than lesser quality oils, but the significant increase in cardiovascular benefits, not to mention richer flavor it provides, make it an extremely good investment in your health.
(Information from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132)
Olive Oil as an Anti Inflammatory
Philadelphia, PA - Diets rich in olive oil have been associated with numerous health benefits, including antiplatelet activity [ 1 ], but the mechanism behind these effects has remained obscure. A team of researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center (University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA) has discovered that oleocanthal, a component found in extra-virgin olive oil, is "a natura anti-inflammatory compound that has a potency and profile strikingly similar to that of ibuprofen" [ 2 ].
We feel that oleocanthal may be a possible bridge between the diet's and the NSAIDs' benefits. "Chronic use of aspirin and ibuprofen are associated with reduced risk of several diseases, including vascular disease (cardiac and brain), some cancers (breast, lung, colon) and dementias including Alzheimer's disease. The Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil is associated with the same reduction of disease risks. We feel that oleocanthal may be a possible bridge between the diet's and the NSAIDs' benefits," senior author Dr Paul AS Breslin tells rheuma wire .
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/538330
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