ISLAMABAD, July 28 (ONLINE): If you could take a single pill that lowered your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases like dementia and Parkinson\u2019s, and early death in general, would you? Bad news: There\u2019s no medication that can do all those things. But if you believe the headlines, one food can: Extra-virgin olive oil. It may be the ultimate superfood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere really is no other food that offers this range of benefits,\u201d said Mary Flynn, PhD, an associate professor at Brown University who\u2019s been researching olive oil for more than 20 years. \u201cThere\u2019s no medicine.\u201d
\nJust this week, new research out of Harvard University showed that people who eat more than half a tablespoon a day had a 28% lower risk of dying from dementia than folks who rarely eat it.<\/p>\n
After decades of headline-making research, the olive oil bandwagon has plenty of passengers. On TikTok, videos about drinking daily shots of olive oil have received more than 1 billion views. Several companies now offer \u201cmedical-grade\u201d olive oil that contains higher levels of beneficial compounds. Actors Brie Larson and Chloe Grace Moretz use it to clean their faces, and Jennifer Lopez credits olive oil, not Botox, for her age-defying glow. Earlier this year, Starbucks introduced a line of coffee drinks made with extra-virgin olive oil.<\/p>\n
So how much is hype, and how much is backed up by research?<\/p>\n
Olive Oil and Health
\nFor 6 decades, since the initial Seven Countries Study called attention to the Mediterranean Diet and its generous use of olive oil, researchers have been examining the health benefits of that golden fluid. And there are many.<\/p>\n
A 2022 analysis of previous studies, covering hundreds of thousands of people, found that each additional 5 grams you eat daily \u2013 that\u2019s a little over a teaspoon \u2013 can lower your risk of dying overall by 4%.<\/p>\n
Olive Oil Basics
\nYou get olive oil from grinding or pressing whole olives and collecting the oil that seeps out. You can use olive oil in all kinds of dishes. You can cook with it, drizzle it on bread, pasta, or salads, or use it as an ingredient in baked goods. Best of all, it comes with a whole host of health benefits.<\/p>\n
Types of Olive Oil
\nOlive oil comes in one of three types, or grades: extra virgin, virgin, and refined (light). They\u2019re labeled based on how much processing they go through before they\u2019re bottled and sold. Refined olive oil is the most processed of the three.<\/p>\n
Which Is Healthiest?
\nThe olive oil that goes through the least amount of processing to make is extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Because of this, EVOO has more nutrition than virgin or refined olive oils do. For example, it\u2019s high in healthy plant nutrients called phytochemicals that may help fight cancer and heart disease. So to get the most from your olive oil, reach for the EVOO.<\/p>\n
Boosts Heart Health
\nLarge studies have shown that when you get more extra virgin olive oil in your diet, you lower your risk of getting heart disease. Active compounds in EVOO help lower blood pressure and keep your arteries from hardening.
\nLowers Stroke Risk
\nReplacing less healthy fats with olive oil in your recipes may lower your chance of getting a stroke by more than 40%.<\/p>\n
Fights Inflammation
\nInflammation in your body leads to chronic disease. Certain antioxidants in EVOO can reduce inflammation in your body in the same way that drugs such as ibuprofen do. The oleic acid in olive oil is an anti-inflammatory, too.<\/p>\n
High in Antioxidants
\nFree radicals are unstable atoms in your body that damage your cells. Antioxidants are compounds that can help prevent or slow down that damage. EVOO is teeming with antioxidants that can lower your risk of disease.<\/p>\n
Zaps Bacteria
\nSome of the nutrients in olive oil can fight harmful bacteria. Helicobacter pylori is a stomach bacteria that can cause ulcers and even cancer. Compounds in olive oil help destroy it. <\/p>\n
Prevents Cancer
\nA Mediterranean diet favors plants over meat and is rich in olive oil. Researchers have found that people who eat this way have a much lower risk of certain cancers, such as colorectal, endometrial, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.<\/p>\n
Boosts Your Brain
\nAnother bonus of an olive-oil heavy Mediterranean diet: It can give your brain a boost. Studies show a menu that\u2019s high in olive oil can help you think, understand, and remember better, and may even help ward off Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
Extra-virgin olive oil is rich with polyphenols, a powerful group of antioxidants that fight inflammation.
\n\u201cInflammation is the base of any disease,\u201d said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic. \u201cSo if we look at inflammation as the base, then we can see that olive oil can help with the reduction of a lot of different conditions.\u201d
\nResearchers haven\u2019t been able to pinpoint how, exactly, those polyphenols work, but they\u2019ve consistently found similar effects across a wide variety of areas. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a scientist, I’m curious: What is the mechanism? How does this thing work?\u201d said Tassos Kyriakides, PhD, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health and one of the organizers of Yale\u2019s annual Symposium on Olive Oil & Health. \u201cBut big picture, does it really matter if it’s giving somebody a healthy outcome at the end? Does somebody who lives in a village in Sicily care about how this thing helps me be 95 and as sharp as ever?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olive Oil and Your Heart
\nThe Seven Countries Study looked specifically at cardiovascular disease. Sixty-five years later, the notion that olive oil helps your heart is accepted as fact, because it\u2019s high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and polyphenols. The European Food Safety Authority permits extra-virgin olive oils with enough of a certain polyphenol to make heart-related health claims on their labels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a big, big statement, based on a lot of accumulated evidence,\u201d Kyriakides says.
\nKristin Koval, a 53-year-old writer from Boulder, CO, started eating olive oil daily 3 or 4 years ago. Her family has a history of heart problems related to genetically low HDL, the \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol.
\n\u201cThere really isn\u2019t a good drug to bring the level up, and I don\u2019t love to take medicine if I don\u2019t have to,\u201d she said. \u201cI read about some foods that help. I couldn\u2019t eat salmon or sardines daily, but olive oil you can incorporate into your everyday life, so I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since she started, her HDL numbers have gone up. For the last 2 years, they\u2019ve been in the normal range. \u201cMy doctor is happy, and so am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olive Oil and Your Brain
\nThat new Harvard study on olive oil and dementia-related deaths builds on previous findings. Anne-Julie Tessier, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. She said they started the study because there\u2019s so much evidence that the Mediterranean Diet helps with cognitive function, cognitive decline, and dementia risk. <\/p>\n
\u201cOlive oil is a significant proportion of the calories in the diet, so it made it very interesting to look at fatal dementia specifically,\u201d she said. Replacing just one teaspoon of margarine or mayonnaise with the same amount of olive oil each day lowered the risk by 8%-14%.
\nKyriakides, too, has researched olive oil\u2019s effects on the brain. One small study produced promising results: Daily consumption significantly improved dementia symptoms in people with mild cognitive impairment.<\/p>\n
Olive Oil and Cancer, Diabetes, and More
\nWhile olive oil\u2019s effects on cardiovascular and brain health have received the most attention, researchers have found numerous other benefits:
\n\u2022\tCancer: An analysis of 45 studies found that people who consumed the most extra-virgin olive oil had a 31% lower cancer risk than those who consumed the least.
\n\u2022\tDiabetes: Research has shown that eating extra-virgin olive oil can lower fasting blood sugars and insulin resistance. One study found that eating 25 grams a day (just under two tablespoons) lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes by 22%
\n\u2022\tPain relief: Oleocanthal, a polyphenol found in extra-virgin olive oil, has anti-inflammatory qualities similar to ibuprofen. Kyriakides considers himself living proof of this: Since he started using exclusively extra-virgin olive oil 9 years ago \u2013 yes, even for baking \u2013 he hasn\u2019t taken a single ibuprofen or other common pain medicine, even after completing triathlons.
\n\u2022\tSkin care: The research is less clear here \u2013 nobody\u2019s proved that olive oil can clear acne, for instance \u2013 but those celebrities may be on to something. Olive oil\u2019s phenolic compounds have higher antioxidant qualities than vitamin E, which has long been used in skin care, and its anti-inflammatory effects seem to help, too.
\n\u2022\tGut health: Researchers are just getting started here, but the results are promising. \u201cThe gut microbiome will see a lot of research activity going forward,\u201d Kyriakides said. \u201cAnything that has to do with the immune system, that\u2019s where it\u2019s processed. A healthy environment will give rise to a healthy system, which then affects everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to Choose and Use Olive Oil for Your Health
\nTo get these health benefits, you must use extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO). It comes from the first pressing of the fruit, made with no heat or chemical extractions \u2013 consider it the fresh-squeezed juice of the olive. Because it\u2019s so fresh, it contains the highest levels of polyphenols.
\nThere\u2019s no universally agreed-upon dosage, but most clinical trials aim to replicate the amount in the average Mediterranean diet: two to four tablespoons a day. That adds up to quite a bit. In Greece, for example, the average person consumes two liters a month! Here in the U.S., we average a paltry one liter each per year.
\n\u201cIf we all had two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil a day, we\u2019d be at a liter a month,\u201d says Kyriakides. \u201cThat\u2019s a magnitude of difference.\u201d <\/p>\n
And you may see some benefits take effect in as little as 3 weeks, according to Flynn.
\nNow that you know to look for EVOO, use these tips to choose one with plenty of those helpful polyphenols:
\n\u2022\tYou can absolutely buy polyphenol-rich olive oil at the supermarket. Expensive doesn\u2019t necessarily mean best, but cheap almost certainly means you won\u2019t get the benefits. \u201cThink of the work involved in picking olives, producing the oil, bottling it, and sending it to be sold,\u201d says Flynn. \u201cWith all that, a standard bottle of 500 ml can\u2019t cost less than $10 for American oil, and from Europe more like $12-15.\u201d
\n\u2022\tFor the highest-quality oil from the U.S., check the ingredients list. It should say \u201cCalifornia olive oil.\u201d That state set higher standards for EVOO than the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the International Olive Council, which covers Europe and the Mediterranean.
\n\u2022\tOne way to spot a high-quality bottle: It has a harvest date printed on the label. The fresher, the better.
\n\u2022\tIn addition to time, light and temperature can also degrade the quality of EVOO. Buy it in metal cans or dark bottles, and store it in a cool, dry place. If you must have some next to the stove, use a small jug and refill as necessary.
\n\u2022\tPhenols have flavor! If you\u2019d describe your olive oil as mild, it\u2019s probably not EVOO.
\n\u2022\tIf the idea of taking a shot of olive oil the way they do in those TikTok videos makes you cringe, never fear. No studies have shown that taking it straight provides more benefits. In fact, some vegetables need to be cooked in oil in order to access their nutrients. Saut\u00e9 or roast in EVOO, and you\u2019re getting double the benefit.<\/p>\n
Can you have too much EVOO? In terms of calories, perhaps \u2013 each tablespoon has 120 of them. But in terms of it harming your health in some way, the answer seems to be no.
\n\u201cThere are no ill effects from extra-virgin olive oil,\u201d Flynn says. \u201cIn fact, more benefits can be found with more extra-virgin olive oil.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, July 28 (ONLINE): If you could take a single pill that lowered your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases like dementia and Parkinson\u2019s, and early death in general, would you? Bad news: There\u2019s no medication that can do all those things. But […]<\/p>\n
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