Numerous Health Benefits Of Consuming Olive Oil Daily

by Luessi Dino I am a Writer

Today with a lot of research already done and others still going on, it has been proved that olive oil has innumerable health benefits. In fact the health benefits of olive oil are unrivalled and new benefits are being discovered with regularity. It would not be wrong to say that today, people have only begun to understand its health benefits and the ways in which olive oil can help improve our daily life and health.

Olive oil has always been the staple for all Mediterranean diet, which by itself says a lot about its health benefits since the Mediterranean culture is one of the world’s oldest cultures which is still surviving. Another very important fact which contributes to its good health qualities is the total absence of cholesterol. Since olive oil is not an animal fat, it contains no cholesterol and thus has the distinction of being a low cholesterol cooking oil. Furthermore it has been known to bring about a balance in the good and bad cholesterol present in the body thereby reducing the risk of many a heart ailment.

Some diseases wherein the regular intake of olive oil have proven to be beneficial are:

· Cancer: The presence of the phytonutrient oleocanthal is known to imitate the working of the drug Ibuprofen. Thus it helps to reduce inflammation thereby decreasing the risk of the occurrence and reoccurrence of breast cancer. In addition to this two other components namely lignans and squalene, present in olive oil are also said to have a positive effect on the other forms of cancer.

· Cardiac diseases: Regular intake of food cooked based on olive oil recipes brings about a decrease in the total cholesterol present in the blood along with LDL-cholesterol and also triglycerides. But it helps to keep the levels of HDL cholesterol or the good cholesterol constant or even slightly increase them so as to bring a balance between the good and the bad cholesterol or HDL and LDL cholesterol. This reduces the occurrence of fatty patches and ultimately helps in the stimulation of low-density lipoprotein elimination from the blood.

· Oxidative stress: Being rich in antioxidants, especially Vitamin E, not only reduces cancer risk but also does not oxidise being rich in monounsaturated fats and having minute quantities of polyunsaturated fats. This helps to reduce oxidative stress and protect the cell membranes from incurring damage due to chain reactions set off by the oxidation of free radicals present in the blood.

· Diabetes:Olive oil benefits are also a result of the same being low in saturated fats but moderately high in carbohydrates and rich fruit soluble fibres. It thus helps in the reduction of lipoprotein which facilitates control on blood pressure and ultimately helps to enhance insulin sensitivity.

· Obesity: Due to the presence of low quantities of saturated fatty acids in olive oil, eating food cooked in olive oil does not increase obesity. On the other hand, it helps to control it.

· Osteoporosis: The main reason for this disease is the reduction in the calcification and mineralisation of the bones. But olive oil facilitates calcium absorption thereby bringing about a positive change in people suffering from osteoporosis.

Other body parameters like blood pressure, sugar levels etc., all benefit from the regular intake of this oil. Hence this cooking oil needs to be incorporated in the daily diet of Indians so that there is a marked improvement in their health.