Olive Oil is good
Dietary fats are bad for you - right?
..................HSI members are not going to fall for that one For sure. As members and other e-Alert  readers are well aware, there are good fats and bad fats, but an
overall avoidance of fats is simply an unhealthy idea. In fact, I'll go one better: It's nutritional insanity.
For instance, if you banished monounsaturated fats from your diet, you'd miss out on the heart health benefits of
olive oil. A new study from Spain shows just how important those benefits can be.
Big oil
In a previous e-Alert, I told you about research from the University of Barcelona, which reported that virgin olive oil contains high levels of
vitamin E and plant chemicals called phenols.
Phenols contain flavonoids; biologically active compounds that are high in antioxidants. The study concluded that virgin olive oil may inhibit
the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
That theory was put to the test in a new study from the EUROLIVE research group, also headquartered in Barcelona. The EUROLIVE team designed a
study to examine the effect of olive oil phenols on cholesterol levels.
STUDY ABSTRACT
* Researchers divided 200 healthy male volunteers into three groups
* Each group received 25 ml of olive oil per day (25 ml = about six teaspoons)
* The 25 ml dosage was used because that's the estimated average daily intake of olive oil in Mediterranean countries
* Each group received a different type of olive oil with different phenol levels: high, medium, and low
* This was a crossover study in three phases - the first three-week phase was followed by a two-week washout period (no consumption of olive
oil), which was then followed by another three-week phase with each group switching to a different type of olive oil, then the cycle was repeated
for a third phase
* Blood samples were taken from subjects throughout the three phases
Results showed that HDL cholesterol increased with consumption of high phenol olive oil, but not
with the two lower phenol oils. More importantly, the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL dropped when olive oil with high phenol content was
consumed.
The report of this study in the Annals of Internal Medicine emphasised the cholesterol angle. This makes sense, of course, because most of the
medical community is still fixated on cholesterol when it comes to heart health. But just as important were these two results: 1) Triglyceride
levels decreased in all three groups, and 2) Oxidative stress markers decreased with intake of high phenol olive oil
All of the types of olive oil
In a nutshell, the EUROLIVE study shows that olive oil is good for your cardiovascular system, especially when phenols are high. And phenols are
highest in extra virgin olive oil. So, when you shop for olive oil, why is extra virgin the most expensive type? It's all about the
processing.
Extra virgin olive oil is made from the first press of freshly harvested olives. The olives are cold-pressed, which means that no heat or
chemicals are used in the process. The result is an oil with very low acidity and high levels of phenols, flavonoids and vitamin E. In short: all
the good stuff.
The other varieties of olive oil - in order of increasing acidity:
* Virgin olive oil - like extra virgin, virgin comes from the first pressing, but has a slightly higher acidity
* Fino olive oil - a blend of extra virgin and virgin
* Olive oil (sometimes called "pure olive oil") - a blend of refined olive oil (pressure, heat, and chemicals are used in processing) and virgin
* Light olive oil - olive oil produced by a filtration process that lightens the colour and flavour, which many prefer for cooking
These are the olive oil basics. But like wine, olive oils have a wide variety of colours and flavours, depending on the types of olives used and
cultivation factors such as climate and soil conditions, which vary dramatically throughout the Mediterranean region where olive oil is primarily
produced.
Article written by Health Sciences Institute
October 2006
Editor
My Health Articles.co.uk
 Author: Peter
Charalambos
Granted Expert Author
Status
Author Credit:
Peter Charalambos is a contributing writer for health information sites, sports health sites and a general news and information site. He has written about all
aspects of vitamins, minerals and health supplements and constantly strives to uncover biased research which tries to undermine natural
products in favour of drugs.
The information on this site is provided for information purposes and is in no way intended to replace the knowledge or
diagnosis of your doctor. Our intention is to focus on overall health issues or strategies. For specific guidance regarding personal health
questions, we advise consultation with a qualified health care professional familiar with your particular circumstances. We advise seeing a
physician whenever a health problem arises requiring an expert's care
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