Olive Oil Is Not Associated With Weight Gain And Obesity
Eating excessive amounts of fat causes weight gain.
However, numerous studies have linked the Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, with favorable effects on body weight (
38 ).
In this study, a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by over 40%.
SummaryBoth observational studies and clinical trials suggest that olive oil, combined with a Mediterranean diet, can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Eating Olives Lowers Your Bad Cholesterol
For people with high cholesterol, it is important to maintain a diet that will help reduce the amount of cholesterol in your body. Olives and olive oil, known for their monounsaturated fats, can help you lower your LDL cholesterol. This type of bad cholesterol can build up in your bloodstream and cling to the walls of your arteries, which can later lead to a condition called atherosclerosis.
The antioxidant Vitamin E is found in olives and can prevent cholesterol from building up and damaging your arteries. An olive contains more antioxidants if it has not been processed much, such as the ones that are used in extra-virgin olive oil.
To improve your overall health and LDL levels, you should consider replacing bad fats with unsaturated fats. As a snack, munch on some olives instead of cheese or chips, which are high in saturated fat and terrible for your health. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil onto vegetables that will be grilled or sautéed. You can even choose to dip a small piece of fresh bread in olive oil instead of lathering it with butter.
Olives have many other amazing health benefits such as lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, preventing diabetes and moisturizing the skin.Continue reading our other blogs to find out more about the health benefits of olives.
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Should You Switch To Corn Oil To Lower Cholesterol
A newly published study shows that corn oil reduces cholesterol much more effectively than extra virgin olive oil. But before you make a switch, there are some other factors to consider
Cindy writes,
Recently Ive been seeing ads on television saying that corn oil is better than olive oil for lowering cholesterol. I’ve always used olive oil and canola oil. Now, Im thinking of changing from canola oil to corn oil. Should I make the switch?
I bet Cindy’s not the only one who has been seeing these ads. Makers of corn oil are spending a lot of money right now to promote the results of a study showing that a diet rich in corn oil reduced cholesterol more than a diet rich in olive oil.
»Continue reading on QuickAndDirtyTips.com
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Relationship Between Olive Oil And Cholesterol
Not every kind of fats are bad for our body and the olive oil is not only a good product to eat for our body, but it may also be effective to prevent high blood pressure and reduce cholesterol. There are several types of olive oil depending on the different extracton methods. Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is the least refined and it is the best way to oduce a perfect product with the greatest number of health benefits, especially for people who suffer hypertension or high cholesterol.
Concerning cholesterol levels, it is sometime associated to consuming too much fat. But the fat in olive oil is actually a good fat because it helps to eliminate the bad fat that increases cholesterol levels. For this reason olive oil plays an important role in lowering low-density lipoproteins, which form the bad cholesterol.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Health
Fats are one of three macronutrients essential to human life and make up a large part of our bodies. Without fats, we wouldnt be able to absorb vitamins A, D, E or K. But not all fats are created equal. Healthy fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, can help you fight stress, improve mood swings, decrease mental fatigue and can actually help you manage your weight. While fat in general gets a bad reputation, not all fats are bad, , you just have to make the right choices! Harvard School of Public Health recommends some healthy fat intake as a rule of thumb, out with the bad, in with the good.
According to the FDA, 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of heart disease because of its monounsaturated fat content. Along with this heart-healthy fat, extra virgin olive also contains phenols which act as antioxidants, reducing the oxidative stress throughout your body. A small amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are also present in extra virgin olive oil, which are essential for brain health. Many other benefits are associated with the consumption of extra virgin olive oil. Cooking with extra virgin olive oil is an easy way to add the health benefits of a heart-healthy oil and add flavor to your dish, whether youre using extra virgin olive oil for salad dressing, or sautéing.
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Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Better Than Other Oils
The answer to this question has to be definitely yes. Dressing your salad or cooking with extra virgin olive oil is much more beneficial because it contains a far greater level of monounsaturated fats than virgin olive oil, which is olive oil and is obviously much more beneficial than sunflower oil and we are not going to even mention coconut or palm vegetable oils. These last two have a very high level of saturated fats and are consequently very damaging for health.
When we talk about extra virgin olive oil, we are talking about the real juice of the olive. A very healthy product, unblended and with a high percentage of polyphenols. Polyphenols are compounds which are very powerful in the anti-ageing process and ward off against many illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative illnesses.
Extra virgin olive oil is a natural product, not blended with other oils. It is produced from the olive always at its perfect moment of ripeness and using the most modern technology on the market.
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Make Sure To Get The Right Type
Buying the right kind of olive oil is extremely important.
Extra virgin olive oil retains some of the antioxidants and bioactive compounds from olives. For this reason, its considered healthier than the more refined variety of olive oil.
Even so, there is a lot of fraud on the olive oil market, as many oils that read extra virgin on the label have been diluted with other refined oils.
Therefore, examine labels carefully to ensure youre getting real extra virgin olive oil. Its always a good idea to read ingredients lists and check for quality certification.
Direct Measurement Of Ldl Particle Concentrations
There are several competing methods for measurement of lipoprotein particle concentrations and size. The evidence is that the NMR methodology results in a 22-25% reduction in cardiovascular events within one year,contrary to the longstanding claims by many in the medical industry that the superiority over existing methods was weak, even by statements of some proponents.
Since the later 1990s, because of the development of NMR measurements, it has been possible to clinically measure lipoprotein particles at lower cost and higher accuracy. There are two other assays for LDL particles, however, like LDL-C, most only estimate LDL particle concentrations.
Direct LDL particle measurement by NMR was mentioned by the ADA and ACC, in a 28 March 2008 joint consensus statement, as having advantages for predicting individual risk of atherosclerosis disease events, but the statement noted that the test is less widely available, is more expensive ]. Debate continues that it is “…unclear whether LDL particle size measurements add value to measurement of LDL-particle concentration”, though outcomes have always tracked LDL particle, not LDL-C, concentrations.
Optimal ranges
The LDL particle concentrations are typically categorized by percentiles, < 20%, 2050%, 50th80th%, 80th95% and > 95% groups of the people participating and being tracked in the MESA trial, a medical research study sponsored by the United States National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
| MESA Percentile |
|---|
| 190 |
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Tactics To Reduce Cholesterol Quickly
For most of us, there’s really no need to pack our medicine cabinets with pills to reduce cholesterol levels. Natural, lifestyle-based strategies have proven extraordinarily effective in reducing cholesterol quickly and permanently.
Get the top 5 food and fitness tips recommended by the doctors, dietitians, exercise experts, and other faculty at the Pritikin Longevity Center. Pritikin has been helping people lower cholesterol levels since 1975.
Did you know that for every 10% drop in your cholesterol level, your heart attack risk drops by 20% to 30%? Theres more good news: Most of us can reduce cholesterol quickly, and without the need for medications. Simple lifestyle strategies can be very powerful.
Thats what several studies on thousands following the Pritikin Program of diet and exercise have found. Within three weeks, people were able to lower their cholesterol levels on average 23%, which translates into a 46% to 69% drop in heart attack risk.1
Olive Oil And Cholesterol Your Questions Answered
In the title of this article, we use two terms that seem to go hand in hand, those of olive oil and cholesterol. But, as you will see from this article, olive oil and cholesterol are linked but only in that olive oil destroys bad cholesterol and increases levels of good cholesterol. But, first of all, we should define what cholesterol is. So lets begin:
What is cholesterol? What do we mean by good and bad cholesterol? What can happen to your health if you suffer from high levels of cholesterol? Is extra virgin olive oil good for reducing cholesterol? Is it better than other types of oil? What habits should you change to have a correct level of cholesterol? If you are interested in the answers to all of these questions, continue reading because we are going to answer all of them.
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Eat Plant Sterols Margarines And Spreads
Plant sterols, or phytosterols, are chemically similar to blood cholesterol and are found in some plant foods, including nuts. Plant sterols are concentrated from plant sources and then added to some commonly eaten foods such as margarines, spreads or milk.
Plant sterols compete with two other types of cholesterolfor absorption from the gut: pre-made cholesterol, which is found in some foods like prawns, and cholesterol, which is made in your liver. This competition process lowers the total amount of cholesterol that eventually ends up in your blood.
A review concluded that two grams of plant sterols a day leads to an 8-10% reduction in LDL cholesterol.
The type of fat the plant sterols are mixed with is important. A meta-analysis of 32 randomised control trials, involving around 2,100 people, found bigger reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol when plant sterols were added to margarines or spreads derived from canola or rapeseed oil, rather than sunflower or soybean oil.
Are You Serious About Reducing Cholesterol
If making healthy changes on your own has been a challenge, it may be time to bring in the professionals! Our team of physicians, nutritionists, exercise experts, psychologists, and chefs – specialize in helping people just like you reduce medication and take contol of their health. A vacation at Pritikin will change your life!
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Nearly Triple The Risk Of Heart Problems
In fact, in a recent study, Dr. Borge Nordestgaard at the University of Copenhagen demonstrated just how dangerous cholesterol remnants like chylomicrons can be. He and colleagues followed nearly 12,000 people in Denmark who had established coronary heart disease, diagnosed between 1976 and 2010. The scientists found that each 1 mmol increase in nonfasting remnant cholesterol caused a nearly 3-fold greater risk of a coronary heart disease event.
Bottom Line: More research is needed to better elucidate the mechanism by which dietary fat promotes inflammation and may increase the risk of cardiovascular events, counsels Gomer.
However, it may be time to question the wisdom of promoting diets with 20 to 35% fat or more for people with cardiovascular disease and/or type 2 diabetes. Diets this high in fat appear to greatly increase both acute and chronic lowgrade inflammation in the body. Increasingly, inflammation is being linked to not only more cardiovascular disease but also insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
The Antioxidants In Olive Oil Have Anti
Cancer is one of the most common causes of death in the world.
People in Mediterranean countries have a lower risk of some cancers, and many researchers believe that olive oil may be the reason .
The antioxidants in olive oil can reduce oxidative damage due to free radicals, which is believed to be a leading driver of cancer (
Olive oil can help reduce joint pain and swelling from rheumatoid arthritis. The beneficial effects are greatly increased when combined with fish oil.
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Is Coconut Oil Bad For You
Many in the coconut oil business promote it as the “good” saturated fat. But, this is a case where facts have been twisted into fiction. Get the Facts About Coconut Oil
Though higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with significantly lower death rates, olive oil itself was associated with only a small and nonsignificant reduction in mortality, wrote Dr. Frank B. Hu of Harvard Medical School in an editorial accompanying the study.
So dont reward olive oil with the laurels, agreed Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, one of the nations top nutrition scientists, at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tuft University in Boston. In several interviews about this study of Greek adults, she said, If the main message that Americans get is to just increase their olive or canola oil consumption, thats unfortunate because they will increase their caloric intake and they are already getting too many calories.
What Americans need to do is eat more fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and fewer foods rich in saturated fats.
What About Pure And Light Olive Oil
Pure olive oil is a blend of extra virgin olive oil and processed oils. People can check the label to find out exactly what is in the oil before buying it. Some light virgin oils are a blend, too.
The term light refers to the flavor of the oil, rather than the calorie content. Light oils are often processed and refined, which strips down the color as well as the flavor.
Processing makes the oil last longer, and it also makes it possible to heat the oil to a higher temperature, which is good for cooking. However, it adds chemicals and takes out nutrients.
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Olive Oil Vs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Most of the modifiers that go before olive oil, such as virgin or extra virgin, refer to the process that manufacturers use to produce the oil. Extra virgin olive oils have undergone the least processing.
When the manufacturer processes the oil, they clean it with chemicals and then heat it. These processes prolong the shelf life, which is great for the food industry, but they may strip away a lot of the oils flavor and some of its benefits.
According to research , extra virgin olive oil has more polyphenols than regular olive oil. Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant, and they have many health benefits. Refining olive oil strips it of its vitamins, polyphenols, and other natural ingredients.
Many people find that extra virgin olive oil has a more pleasant taste than olive oils that have undergone more processing. Fresh, unprocessed extra virgin olive oil should taste:
- a bit fruity
- a little bitter, similar to biting into an olive
- slightly peppery
If the oil tastes metallic, flavorless, or musty, this may be due to overprocessing, or the oil might have gone bad.
Many people opt for cold pressed, unfiltered, or stone pressed products when choosing which extra virgin olive oil to purchase. With these options, the oil has not undergone heating or filtering, which usually adds chemicals to the oil.
What Is The Healthiest Oil For Cooking
Nutrition and cooking experts agree that one of the most versatile and healthy oils to cook with and eat is olive oil, as long as its extra virgin. You want an oil that is not refined and overly processed, says Howard. An extra virgin label means that the olive oil is not refined, and therefore of high quality.
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