Health Benefits

Olive oil is richly complex

Composed of an array of fatty acids, macro and micro-nutrients, and over 30 phenolic compounds, olive oil's chemical balance is a part of it's exceptional reputation among chefs, healthcare specialists, and home users alike.

Olive oil is held with almost spiritual reverence by some of the longest-living cultures in the world. With new benefits and health correlations being discovered almost daily, science is now confirming the health effects that generations of olive oil users have experienced and celebrated for thousands of years.

The modern consumer is far more aware of the dark side of industrial food processes and the importance of understanding how food directly impacts our health. Evidence of the implications of diets laden with animal fats, or worse, highly processed and refined nut, seed, and plant oils is not only being recognized, but is alarmingly apparent in the current trends of disease and wide-spread health issues plaguing North America and similar cultures. There is a massive cultural shift steering us back in favour of the whole, the healthy, and the tried-and-true.

Unfortunately, olive oil has been slow to break into North American culture, and though no other oils have a history as extensive and beautiful as olive oil, many North Americans are still in the dark in regards to the health benefits of the oil, and more seriously, how to identify a high quality olive oil.

So, whats so great about olive oil? (Specifically, high quality extra virgin oils?)

The numerous health benefits attributed with regular consumption of high quality extra virgin olive oil is as follows:

Cancer

Olive oil contains a phytonutrient called oleocanthal, which reduces inflammation in the body similar to the effects of ibuprofen. Reduced inflammation reduces the risk of certain cancers, such as breast cancer. Olive oil is also rich in phenolic compounds, which reduce damage from oxidative stresses that can lead to cancer. Other compounds, such as squalene and lignans are being studied for their effects on cancer as well. Olive oil has also proven to effective in preventing skin cancer, both when take internally or applied externally after sun exposure. 

Heart Disease

Olive oil has a dramatic effect on blood lipids. It has been shown to lower triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol (the bad kind), and in some studies, actually raised HDL-cholesterol (the good kind). This plays a role in preventing fatty plaques in the arteries (atherosclerosis) and reduces a persons risk factor for developing heart disease. 

Oxidative Stress

The body is fueled by oxygen, primarily through oxidization-reduction, or redox, reactions. Oxygen is extremely reactive, and it is often forgotten just how volatile, and toxic, oxygen can be.

The very substance that is keeping us alive is also slowly killing us through the cumulative effects of oxidative stress. The human body is very careful to regulate oxygen concentrations. 95% of oxygen that enters our cells is used properly in the mitochondria, but as much as 3% to 5% is released as free radicals. Free-radicals produce chains of spontaneous chemical reactions, causing a domino effect that can lead to damage, most seriously of the DNA contained within a cell nucleus, but also of enzymes, cell membranes that regulate nutrient flow, and of lipids through lipid peroxidation (the base of over 200 diseases, including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc). This damage can directly increases a persons risk of cancer, which occurs when cells copy an error in DNA leading to unrestrained cell division. Phenolic compounds and antioxidants such as vitamin E found in olive oil prevent these free-radical reactions and can reverse damage caused by free-radials, reducing the risk of cancer and general oxidative stress. 

Blood Pressure

Regular consumption of olive oil has been shown to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. More research is being conducted, but the current effects are attributed to the phenolic compounds present in olive oil.

Diabetes

Consumption of olive oil, especially in conjunction with the Mediterranean diet (low in saturated fats, rich in carbohydrates and fiber from fruit and vegetables, legumes and whole grains) has excellent effects on LDL-cholesterol and blood sugar control, while improving insulin sensitivity. A study in the science journal Diabetes Care showed that the Mediterranean diet was 50% more effective in type II diabetes prevention than the low fat diet.