Nutrition and Health

Reference: Paul Vossen, "Judging Olive Oil Quality"

For centuries, olive oil has been used to maintain the suppleness of skin and muscle, to heal abrasions, to give body and sheen to hair and soothe the drying effects of sun and wind. Additionally, olive oil has been utilized in folk remedies to strengthen weak nails, aid digestion, cure the effects of alcohol consumption, promote hair growth, relieve aching muscles, lower blood pressure and many other uses.

Recently, research has provided proof that a Mediterranean style diet is a healthy diet. Dietary patterns associated with the Mediterranean diet, which includes a relatively high intake of fat (with the source of fat being olive oil), has been associated with low rates of coronary heart disease, obesity, certain cancers and Type 2 diabetes. A recent study showed that patients taking medications for high blood pressure could significantly reduce their dosage of medications if they substituted extra virgin olive oil into their diet instead of other types of fats. Some studies have shown that skin application after sun exposure with extra virgin olive oil (high in antioxidants and containing some vitamin K) reduced skin tumors.

The American Heart Association found that Greeks, especially those who lived on the island of Crete, had the lowest mortality rate due to cardio-vascular illness. Finland and the United States had the highest mortality rate. The only notable difference between the countries was the type of fat ingested. In countries with high incidents of cardio-vascular disease, saturated fats were most often consumed. Saturated fats, such as butter and lard, are high in cholesterol. Monounsaturates, on the other hand, contain no cholesterol. Olive oil has the highest percentage of monosaturated fats of any vegetable or seed oil.

There are two types of cholesterol; low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density (HDL). LDL's transport and deposit cholesterol in the tissues and arteries. LDL levels increase with a high intake of saturated fatty acids and are considered "bad cholesterol." HDL eliminates cholesterol from the cells and carries it into the liver where it is passed through the bile ducts. HDL is often referred to as the "good cholesterol". Monounsaturates reduce LDL while increasing HDL. An increase in the levels of HDL will not only provide protection against cholesterol deposits, but it will actually reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Research has proved that using olive oil significantly increases HDL levels.