The Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The Mediterranean diet, which includes olive oil as its primary source of fat, is associated with longevity and in particular, a lower incidence of heart disease.
As well as oleic acid, olive oil contains many bioactive components such as polyphenols, which are reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the human body. In fact, polyphenols may be responsible for the protective effects against cardiovascular diseases associated with extra virgin olive oil.
Here at Agroktima Philippos, we focus our energies on producing the very best cold pressed olive oil. We don't make idle claims! We know, from scientific research published in peer reviewed journals, that olive oil with the highest polyphenol content has incredible healing properties.
Read on for a summary of the research on olive oil and heart disease, with links to the relevant peer-reviewed articles.
If you have heart disease, or a family history of heart disease, you should consider including plenty of extra virgin olive oil in your diet.
Extra virgin olive oil can help you and your loved ones fight against cardiovascular disease in several ways. Olive Oil has been shown to lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and overall inflammation, targeting simultaneously some of the greatest risk factors for heart disease.
But be ware! No other oil is a suitable substitute for extra virgin olive oil, since no other oil contains beneficial polyphenols such as oleocanthal and hydroxytyrosol.
Sunflower oil and other seed oils can, in fact, be especially harmful. For the best health benefits look for high quality, phenolic olive oil.
Here are some of the many benefits you can expect from regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil.
Benefit #1 - High Phenolic Olive Oil Lowers Inflammation and LDL cholesterol
Extra virgin olive oil lowers inflammation and prevents oxidation of “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Studies have also shown that the consumption of olive oil can be a primary and secondary protective factor against the development of cardiovascular diseases since it reduces the concentrations of low-density lipoproteins and increases the concentration of high-density lipoproteins. In other words, olive oil has been shown to raise your "good" cholesterol and lower your "bad" cholesterol.
Furthermore, olive oil exerts an influence on inflammatory markers, such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor, which are pro-inflammatory agents in the body.
In contrast, studies of patients with peripheral vascular diseases show that diets rich in sunflower oil do not protect LDL against oxidation, in the way virgin olive oil does. Rather, seed oils appear to have a pro-inflammatory effect.
"A significantly higher LDL susceptibility to oxidation was observed after sunflower oil intake in comparison with virgin olive oil" – Aguilera CM et al.
Benefit #2 - High Phenolic EVOO Lowers Blood Pressure
Olive Oil has also been shown to lower blood pressure, one of the greatest risk factors for heart disease.
Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for coronary heart disease. Recent studies have raised the possibility that extra virgin olive oil may lower blood pressure in subjects suffering from hypertension.
In one study, olive oil reduced the need for blood pressure medication by 48%. Moreover, dietary olive oil proved helpful in reducing the systolic pressure of elderly subjects suffering from hypertension.
"...polyphenolic compounds present in virgin olive oil also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects in cardiovascular disease. " – Patrick L & Uzick M
Benefit #3 - Olive oil may protect against clotting
Extra Virgin Olive Oil has also been shown to improve the lining of your blood vessels and helps prevent excessive blood clotting.
Hydroxytyrosol is a key phenolic compound in extra virgin olive oil and has demonstrated powerful action against radicals. In particular, the polyphenol hydroxytyrosol from olive oil has been shown to exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet aggregation and anti-atherogenic activities in in-vitro and animal models.
Take control of your health now!
If you have heart disease, or a family history of heart disease, you should consider including plenty of extra virgin olive oil in your diet. Remember, however, that evidence is clear: only the highest quality, phenolic olive oil has an impact on inflammation, LDL cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Take control of you health now! Heart Disease can be reversed. Browse our shop for some of the best high phenolic olive oil in the world market.
Sources
If you want to research the topic further, why not start by reading the following peer-reviewed articles, whose authors have researched deeply into the many benefits of extra virgin olive oil.
Patrick L, Uzick M. Cardiovascular disease: C-reactive protein and the inflammatory disease paradigm: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, alpha-tocopherol, red yeast rice, and olive oil polyphenols. A review of the literature. Altern Med Rev. 2001 Jun;6(3):248-71. PMID: 11410071. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11410071/
Aviram M, Eias K. Dietary olive oil reduces low-density lipoprotein uptake by macrophages and decreases the susceptibility of the lipoprotein to undergo lipid peroxidation. Ann Nutr Metab. 1993;37(2):75-84. doi: 10.1159/000177753. PMID: 8517637. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8517637/
Psaltopoulou T, Naska A, Orfanos P, Trichopoulos D, Mountokalakis T, Trichopoulou A. Olive oil, the Mediterranean diet, and arterial blood pressure: the Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Oct;80(4):1012-8. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/80.4.1012. Erratum in: Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 May;81(5):1181. PMID: 15447913. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15447913/
Perona JS, Cañizares J, Montero E, Sánchez-Domínguez JM, Catalá A, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V. Virgin olive oil reduces blood pressure in hypertensive elderly subjects. Clin Nutr. 2004 Oct;23(5):1113-21. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2004.02.004. PMID: 15380903. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15380903/
Aguilera CM, Mesa MD, Ramirez-Tortosa MC, Nestares MT, Ros E, Gil A. Sunflower oil does not protect against LDL oxidation as virgin olive oil does in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Clin Nutr. 2004 Aug;23(4):673-81. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2003.11.005. PMID: 15297105. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15297105/
Marcelino G, Hiane PA, Freitas KC, Santana LF, Pott A, Donadon JR, Guimarães RCA. Effects of Olive Oil and Its Minor Components on Cardiovascular Diseases, Inflammation, and Gut Microbiota. Nutrients. 2019 Aug 7;11(8):1826. doi: 10.3390/nu11081826. PMID: 31394805; PMCID: PMC6722810. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31394805/
Tejada S, Pinya S, Del Mar Bibiloni M, Tur JA, Pons A, Sureda A. Cardioprotective Effects of the Polyphenol Hydroxytyrosol from Olive Oil. Curr Drug Targets. 2017;18(13):1477-1486. doi: 10.2174/1389450117666161005150650. PMID: 27719659. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27719659/