The Benefits and properties of olive oil For health are numerous: it improves heart health and skin condition, prevents cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis and others that I will explain below.
Traditionally, olive oil has been used to prepare our meals in exclusivity, although it hides beyond this a myriad of possibilities.
It has been a source of study for many years and has revealed itself as a source of beauty and health in many areas.
7 Benefits and Properties of Olive Oil
1- Is good for the heart
Contrary to what some people think, fats are good. I explain, fats are an essential part of a balanced eating plan.
The key is to choose fats carefully. Olive oil is one of the healthiest types of fat that can be taken.
Olive oil fats help keep our cholesterol levels balanced as they are healthy fats.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Recommends taking two tablespoons a day of olive oil to have a healthy heart.
2- Improves the state of the skin
The topical use of oil is already a classic, many celebrities worldwide speak of the miraculous results of so-called liquid gold.
Olive oil, among other things, moisturizes and softens dry skin - on the face and the rest of the body - which affects a large number of women and men.
Since the product is natural, adverse reactions are not common. The problem with many of the commercial skin care products is that the moisturizing ingredients do not penetrate the skin.
Extra virgin olive oil is made up of more than 80% oleic acid, this substance easily penetrates the skin, and allows you to repair damages, reduce wrinkles and improve texture .
3- Improves the condition of the hair
Olive oil can be a perfect ally in the fight against dry and frizzy hair. We can serve as a natural conditioner applying only a few milliliters.
For those who are wary of using shampoos and chemicals find in the oil a perfect natural remedy.
The use of olive oil in place of commercial conditioners can hydrate just like these hair, and give it a healthy glow saving those extra euros that always come well.
4. Prevent cancer
The vegetable nutrients of olive oil imitate the effect of Ibuprofen To reduce inflammation, which may decrease the risk of breast cancer and its recurrence.
Recent research, such as that carried out by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), shows that extra virgin olive oil slows down cancer.
"Until now, it has been known that the incidence of breast tumors is significantly lower in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, where olive oils are a fundamental part of the diet,"says the director of research, Eduard Scrich.
Research has shown that olive oil slows the progression of breast cancer by eliminating cancer cells without harming healthy ones.
This is the conclusion of the latest study carried out by a team of scientists from Rutgers University in New Jersey and Hunter College in New York.
Another recent study found that olive oil, along with other components of the Mediterranean diet, may contribute to the prevention of malignant melanoma.
East melanoma , Which is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, can be slowed down by consuming olive oil, which is rich in antioxidants.
Although of course, sunscreen remains the best way to prevent sunburn and protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun's UVA rays.
Only three out of every 100,000 inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries develop any type of skin cancer. In Australia, however, it is 50 per 100,000.
5- Prevent diabetes
A recent Spanish study published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care Showed that a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil reduces the risk of Type II diabetes By almost 50% compared to a low-fat diet.
Type II diabetes is the most common and easy to prevent. Individuals who are overweight are at increased risk of developing this type of diabetes.
The PREDIMED (Mediterranean Dietary Prevention) study is a multicenter trial conducted in Spain in which participants were randomly assigned to one of three possible diets:
- Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil
- Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts
- Diet control (advice to reduce fat).
A total of 7,447 people participated, of which 57% were women.
Each participant was randomly assigned a low-fat diet, a Mediterranean diet with olive oil (up to 1 liter per week) or a Mediterranean diet with nuts (30 grams per day). Those in the control diet group were not encouraged to exercise.
After 4 years, 17.9% of people who follow the low-fat diet developed diabetes, while only 10% of participants after the Mediterranean diet with olive oil or nuts had developed the disease.
It is important to note that the reduction of diabetes risk was independent of changes in body weight or physical activity. In addition, the Mediterranean diets that were followed were not restricted in calories.
The authors conclude that among people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts reduces the incidence of serious cardiovascular events.
6- It prevents and improves osteoporosis
Several studies, such as that of the SANYRES Group and the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research in Córdoba, have found treatment methods for osteoporosis in which olive oil could play an important role in drug development, as well as in the dietary needs of the patients.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by a decrease in bone mass, which in turn makes the architecture of bone tissue increasingly fragile.
This can increase the chance of fractures, so even the slightest blow, in extreme cases, can be fatal for some patients.
The disease is recognized as prevalent among postmenopausal women who suffer from a decrease in estrogen production and weaken their bone structures.
Olive oil helps to stimulate bone health by enhancing the formation of osteoblasts (bone cells) from bone marrow stem cells.
This is of vital importance since the age-related loss of bone density is associated with osteoblast insufficiency during bone remodeling.
In particular, this work published in Osteoporosis International , Reveals that when there is Oleuropein In the culture media, stem cells enhance the formation of Osteoblasts (Bone-forming cells) and decrease Adipocytes (Fat cells).
Oleuropein is found both in the leaves of the olive tree and in its fruit, and is always present in the virgin olive oil, although the amount of This polyphenol In olives and oil is variable, depending mainly on the maturation of the olive, or the subtype of these.
Taken together, these data suggest that oleuropein intake could prevent bone loss associated with aging and osteoporosis.
In fact, research has shown that the prevalence of osteoporosis in the Mediterranean is lower than in Europe.
Among the environmental factors that contribute to this difference is the traditional Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, with a high consumption of olives and their derivatives, mainly olive oil.
Olive oil is rich in more than 30 phenolic compounds like oleuropein, tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol.
This study has important clinical implications, since the oleuropein contained in the olive oil could be used as a drug or nutrient, so that the range of actions of the olive oil is now extended to the bones.
7- Improves depression
In addition to the known benefits to body health, olive oil also has multiple benefits for mental health.
According to Spanish research from the University of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a diet rich in olive oil can protect against mental illness.
The study included 12,059 volunteers who were part of the SUN Project, a prospective study among Spanish university students.
Researchers followed these volunteers for more than 6 years and gathered data on lifestyle factors such as diet as well as medical history.
At the beginning of the study, none of the volunteers the Depression , And by the end of the study, 657 new cases were detected.
In the data collected, it was revealed that volunteers who had high intakes of processed fats had up to a 48 percent higher risk of depression compared to volunteers who did not consume these fats.
In addition, the researchers found that increased intake of olive oil and Polyunsaturated fats Found in fatty fish and vegetable oils was associated with a lower risk of depression.
According to the researchers these results suggest that cardiovascular disease and depression may share some common mechanisms related to diet.
This is not the first time that olive oil and the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower rates of depression.
In 2009, Spanish researchers once again discovered that people who followed a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, vegetables, legumes and fruits were 30% less likely to suffer from depression .
Now that you have read this you already know, to take olive oil has been said!
References
- Www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-health-benefits.