The Health Benefits of Olive Oil are well documented
Olive Oil is a key component of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
Olive oil is an important component of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid as shown in the articles below. Olive oil is an excellent representative of healthy fats essential in nutritional diets where the objective is to substitute good fats for bad fats
Cleveland Clinic (2009) Melissa Ohlson, Mediterranen Diet Pyramid Gets a Facelift
Cleveland Clinic. Women's Cardiovascular Center, Mediterranean Diet
The "Mediterranean diet" describes a delicious, health promoting way of eating and drinking. It is described as the "gold standard for healthy eating" . The "Mediterranean Diet Pyramid" was introduced in 1993 at a conference in Cambridge, MA to represent visually the classic Mediterranean diet. It was introduced by The Harvard School of Public Health, the European Office of the World Health Organization and Oldways. Here is a link to it: The Oldways Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
Olive Oil helps to prevent Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are the top cause of death in the industrialized world and there are important studies that show that the lowest rates of death from cardiovascular diseases are currently recorded in the countries where olive oil is virtually the only fat consumed
The studies of the benefits of olive oil on coronary disease started in the early 1950s First Cross-cultural Studies
American Heart Association on Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Thomas Pickering, MD, DPhil, FRCP, Director of Integrative and Behavioral Cardiology Program of the Cardiovascular Institute of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York on New evidence that a Mediterranean diet protects against heart disease
The American Society for Nutrition, J. Nutrition 137: 84-87, January 2007, Isabel Bondia-Pons et al: Moderate Consumption of Olive Oil by Healthy European Men Reduces Systolic Blood Pressure in Non-Mediterranean Participants
Olive Oil contains Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
Antioxidants are found in fresh fruit and vegetables. Because olive oil is the only oil extracted from a fruit, it retains antioxidants and vitamins that other oils don´t have. Extra Virgin Olive Oils,harvested pre-envero from the most recent harvest, cold extracted using only mechanical means guarantee that the olive oil retains the maximum amount of antioxidants and nutritional value
Some of the antioxidants found in olive oil are: Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), carotenoids and phenolic compounds such as hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein- the last two are subject of recent studies as hydroxytorosol has been found to inhibit platelet aggregation and it is anti-inflammatory, oleuropein has been found to encourage the formation of nitric acid- a powerful vasodilator.
Wikipedia on Hydroxytyrosol
Prof Francesco Visoli, Université Pierre et Marie Curie on the Benefits of Hydroxytyrosol
Wikipedia on Oleuropein
Puel C. Quintin et al on: Olive oil and its main phenolic micronutrient (oleuropein) prevent inflammation-induced bone loss in the ovariectomised rat
Recent studies show that Olive Oil has a preventive effect on certain types of Cancer
Epidemiological studies suggest that olive oil has a protective effect against certain malignant tumors (breast, prostate, endometrium, digestive track, ...) the routes to achieve such protection seem to be multiple: 1) The well known beneficial effects of antioxidants on free radicals that attack DNA and cause cell mutation 2) The protective role of olive oil in pre-cancerous lesions including chronic liver disease and Chrohn´s disease 3) The beneficial effect of oleic acid to lower the production of prostaglandins derived from arachidonic acid- which plays a significant role in the production and develpment of tumours 4) The beneficial effect of Squalene in reducing the incidence of melanomas
University of Ulster, 2005,Professor Ian Rowland: Olive Oil Could Help Fight Colon Cancer
Oxford University, Institute of Health Sciences 2000 Oct. Stoneham M et al.: Olive Oil, diet and Colorectal Cancer
Catalan Institute of Oncology, Javier Menendez et al; Olive Oil's bitter principle reverses acquired autoresistance to trastuzumab (Herceptin (TM)) in HER2- overexpressing breast cancer cells
But only the Best Olive Oils are rich in health promoting compounds
Only the very best olive oils are harvested early (pre-envero) when the olive fruits are most difficult to pick- as they are firmly attached to the tree. It is at this early time when the fruits have the best aromas, taste and highest content of health promoting compounds. Also, the production process of these superior oils is optimized to retain these elements by sacrificing yield and making the extraction process more complex and lengthy. But the results are worth the effort: superior award-winning olive oils that retain all the goodness of the olive fruit needed to follow the Mediterranean diet.
Olive and Gourmet only sells extra virgin olive oils with high content of health promoting compounds
Our Selection of Health Promoting Olive Oils
Studies show the benefits of Olive Oil to prevent Diabetes
The main benefit of Olive Oil in the treatment of Diabetes seems to be in the prevention of insulin resistance. Olive oil does this by the mechanism of raising HDL-cholesterol and lowering triglycerides levels- helping to control blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Also, there are numerous studies that confirm the correlation between the mediterranean diet and low incidence of diabetes
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Professor M.A. Martinez-Gonzalez: Adherence to Mediterranean diet and risk of developing diabetes: prospective cohort study
Olive Oil, as an integral part of a healthy diet, helps to fight Obesity
Olive Oil is energy dense and at first sight it may seem that it is not useful to fight obesity. However, essential fatty acids- like omega-3s and olive oil are necessary for a healthy diet. The optimal percentage of the total calories from the intake of these oils is subject to debate but it is clear that the total exclusion of these nutrients is detrimental to good health. Best Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oils, like the best wines, have excellent taste that is extended to salads and vegetables when added to them, in this sense, the excellent taste of the best olive oils can help people to eat more vegetables and pulses as it makes these foods more palatable. Thus, creating a virtuous circle of healthy eating that contributes to longer-lasting weight loss.
F. Soriguer et al; Molecular Nutrition & Food Research; Obesity and the metabolic syndrome in Mediterranean countries: A hypothesis related to live Oil
Olive Oil helps in the regulation of the immune system
Recent research shows that the fatty acids that make-up olive oil contribute to lowering immunological parameters such as the proliferation of lymphocytes induced by specific mitogens of both B- and T-cells. These fatty acids reportedly play an important role in various immune functions such as regulating inflammatory process and may be effective in the treatment of some autoimmune diseases and in the regulation of the immune system in general.
Cleveland Clinic, Diseases & Conditions- Diet, Exercise, Stress and the Immune System
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition- Effect of olive oil in immune function in middle-aged men
Arthritis Foundation- Olive oil reduces inflammation
Dr Gary Beauchamp and Dr Paul Breslin have established that the pungent, peppery kick that almost makes you cough when you taste the healthiest extra virgin olive oils is due to oleocanthal- nature's analogue of Ibuprofen. In their 2005 report to the journal Nature, Breslin et al suggested that the anti-inflammatory properties of oleocanthal- present in pungent olive oils- might be one of the things that make the traditional Mediterranean diet so healthful
Nature journal 437,45-46 (1 September 2005) Beauchamp et al; Ibuprofen-like activity in extra-virgin olive oil
Monell Chemical Senses Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Peyrot des Gachons, Beauchamp, Breslin et al- Unusual pungency from extra-virgin olive oil is attributable to restricted spatial expression of the receptor of oleocanthal
Our selection of Award Winning Oils have this pungency property- sometimes described as peppery
