12 Reasons Olive Oil is the Healthiest Food in the World
Key Takeaways:
Benefits of frequent olive oil consumption include:
Decreased inflammation
Reduced risk of disease
Decreased blood pressure
Improved insulin sensitivity
Decreased feelings of depression and anxiety
Improved cholesterol biomarkers
Full Story
Orange, apple, and grape juice are packed full of added sugar and stripped of nutrients and fiber. Olive juice, aka olive oil, may not pair as well with your morning Fruit Loops, but packs a powerful nutritious punch that can compete with any food in the world! Here are 13 reasons to include more olive oil in your diet.
1. Decrease inflammation
Chronic inflammation is one of the primary culprits responsible for the significant increase in deadly conditions such as heart disease, stroke, autoimmune disease (1). Through the anti-inflammatory properties of the phenolic compounds it contains, olive oil douses the insidious flames of chronic inflammation (2, 3).
Consumption of olive oil has been shown to decrease inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6. In fact, the amount of the compound Oleocanthal in 3.5 tablespoons of olive oil exhibits about 10% of the pain relief power as Advil! (4).
2. Reduce Risk of Diabetes by Increasing Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin is a hormone that pulls sugar out of your blood and shuttles it into your liver, fat and muscle cells. Diets high in monounsaturated fat, i.e. olive oil, result in increased insulin sensitivity* and allow for tighter blood sugar regulation through more effective sugar utilization (5).
It makes sense, then, that higher consumption of olive oil would be associated with decreased rates of diabetes – and the research backs this claim up (6). This study found that consuming 1 liter of olive oil per week was associated with a reduction in Type 2 diabetes incidence by 52% (7).
Even more fascinating, the risk reduction was independent of any changes in bodyweight or activity levels. Incorporating more olive oil is a simple way to help manage your blood sugar levels and ward off diabetes.
*As a result of decreased Beta-cell apoptosis, increased number of Beta-cells, and normalized glucose metabolism.
3. Anti-Bacterial
In the human body, microbial cells outnumber human cells by 10:1! (8). Some are beneficial for our health and same make us deathly ill.
Nutrients in olive oil are able to kill many types of harmful bacteria, including the nasty, ulcer and cancer-causing H. pylori (9). This study even showed that 2 weeks of olive oil consumption reduced one’s risk of H. pylori infection by 10-40% (10).
4. Decrease Risk of CVD
If you’re a male or female living in America, the odds of dying from heart disease are in your favor. To decrease your risk of developing this #1 leading cause of death, make olive oil a staple in your diet (11).
Olive oil fights off heart disease through a multi-pronged mechanism that includes decreasing blood pressure, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and markers of chronic inflammation (12, 13, 14). This study that followed nearly 100,000 participants found that consuming just half a tablespoon of olive oil per day slashed the risk of coronary heart disease by 21% and risk of all cardiovascular disease by 15% (15).
(16).
5. Decrease Risk of Stroke
Olive oil consumption significantly decreases stroke risk. Here, researchers found that compared to those that never consumed olive oil, frequent consumers had a 41% lower risk of stroke (17) and this study found an inverse relationship between olive oil consumption and stroke incidence (18).
6. Decreases Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Impairment
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of the neurodegenerative disease Dementia, affecting about 6 million Americans, and is characterized by the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. Oleocanthal in olive oil promotes the up-regulation of proteins that clear out Beta-amyloid plaque, reducing your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. (19).
Additionally, those that consume olive oil consumption have been shown to have better cognitive health compared to those that ate a low-fat control diet (20). To both decrease Dementia risk and overall cognitive decline, you can’t go wrong with having a high intake of olive oil.
7. Increase Bioavailability of Nutrients in Vegetables
Vegetables are one of the best foods you can eat for your health, and olive oil can make them even better for you by increasing antioxidant activity and increasing the bioavailability of super carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lycopene (21, 22).
The body converts beta-carotene into Vitamin A and it supports eye health and vision, healthy skin, and a robust immune system. Lycopene is even known to decrease risk of cancer and improve heart health (23). To better reap these health benefits, be sure to drizzle some olive oil on your carrots, tomatoes, and every other vegetable you consume.
8. Reduce Risk of Osteoporosis and Bone Fractures
“Drink milk for stronger bones?” Forget about the heavily marketed yet questionable link between dairy consumption and bone strength, olive oil is the real key to optimal bone health.
Animal studies have shown that olive oil consumption increases bone mineral density, improves bone strength, and decreases bone turnover markers as a result of decreased oxidative stress and inflammation (24). Additionally, these researchers found that high olive oil consumption decreased osteoporotic fracture risk by 51% in 51-80 year olds that were at high cardiovascular risk (25).
9. May Decrease Risk of Cancer
It appears that olive oil consumption can decrease your risk of developing cancer, a complicated condition with a variety of genetic and environmental causes (26). Specifically, the oleocanthal in olive oil activates enzymes in cancerous cells that causes them to die, while sparing the healthy cells.
Olive oil’s anti-cancer effects have been explored in a number of other studies, too, including:
This one that showed that the fatty acids in olive oil may regulate the malignancy of breast cancer cells (27).
This one that showed the oleic acid in olive oil may decrease the expression of cancerous breast cancer cells (28).
And this one that showed that rats fed olive oil had less DNA damage, and tumors that had a more benign phenotype (expression) compared to those fed corn oil (29).
It is certainly NOT a cure for cancer, but a high intake of olive oil has the power to slow the growth and even kill cancerous cells.
10. Lower Blood Pressure and Improve Blood Vessel Health
Atherosclerosis is a hardening of arteries caused by a buildup fatty deposits, cholesterol, and calcium. High olive oil consumption decreases blood pressure and slows the progression of atherosclerosis, likely by improving the function of the endothelium that lines the blood vessels (30).
Interestingly enough, hypertensive patients that consumed a diet that included 17.2% of calories from monounsaturated fat were able to decrease their dosage of blood pressure medication by 48% (31).
11. Decrease Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
The most common symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis include swollen, painful, and stiff joints. Olive oil consumption in patients with RA has been shown to significantly decrease the degree of all of these unpleasant symptoms, in addition to increasing grip strength and delaying onset of fatigue (32, 33).
If you suffer from sore or stiff joints, taking advantage of the anti inflammatory properties of olive oil may be a wise dietary decision.
12. May Decrease Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
There is a link between the Mediterranean diet and decreased rates of depression, and it may in part be due to the diet’s high content of olive oil (34). Researchers have shown that improvements in diet quality reduce symptoms of depression in young adults (35, 36).
In mice studies, olive oil consumption has been shown to have anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects through increased levels of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine and an alteration of the synthesis and metabolism of 5-HT, a serotonin receptor associated with depression and anxiety (37, 38).
Making positive dietary changes can significantly reduce subjective feelings of depression in just 3 weeks (36).
Bottom Line
If you’re looking to put on muscle, lose fat, live longer, or simply feel better, olive oil is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. Delicious and versatile, you can drizzle it on vegetables, use it as a salad dressing, and even mix it into a protein shake. The possibilities are endless!
As enticing as these 12 positive effects of olive oil consumption may sound, there are even more benefits of consuming olive oil - throw some on your plate and find out for yourself! It may very well be the healthiest food in the world.
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