It may be surprising for you to hear that olive oil, apart from being a delicious replacement for butter and vegetable oil, has a slew of health benefits. Each of these benefits are found in each of O-Live & Co’s high quality olive oils and if you aren’t familiar already, you’re missing out!
Today, O-Live & Co will be sharing the top health benefits of olive oil with you so you can enjoy our line of fantastic olive oils without shame. After hearing about the many health benefits of using olive oil in your favorite meals, you’ll be rushing to pick up your own. Let’s get started!
Lowers Blood Pressure
Did you know that olive oil has been proven to be protective against heart disease? If not, you may be surprised to learn that olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure, a significant contributing factor to incurring heart disease.
As the leading cause of death in the world, it is important to fight heart disease in any way possible. Why not start with olive oil? Olive oil was shown to significantly lower blood pressure in a study completed by the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine where it successfully reduced the need for blood pressure medication by 48%.
Weight Loss
Using a lot of butter in your cooking is a great way to gain weight. Luckily, there is a much healthier and tasty solution in olive oil! Best of all, olive oil has actually been shown to contribute to weight loss. Numerous studies of the Mederterrainian diet, rich in olive oil use, have shown that not only does olive oil not contribute to weight gain, it can actually aid in moderate weight loss.
In one particular study, olive oil was shown to aid in weight loss in a three-year observation of over 187 participants. While using butter is a great way to introduce that extra fat into your life, O-Live olive oil may actually help you maintain (and even lose) weight without sacrificing delicious flavor.
May Fight Alzeheimer’s Disease
Believe it or not, olive oil may fight Alzeheimer's disease. Alzeheimer’s disease, one of the most common neurodegenerative conditions in the world, is characterized by the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain’s cells. An initial study providing evidence that olive oil may help in fighting Alzeheimer’s disease used olive oil to successfully remove these plaques from mice.
Need more evidence that olive oil may play a role in combating Alzeheimer’s disease than one study on mice? A more recent study by the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health provided additional evidence through human participants! In this study, researchers found that olive oil benefits brain function in key ways that play into the way that Alzeheimer’s disease manifests.
Manages Diabetes
Finally, olive oil’s strong anti-inflammatory properties may assist in managing, and even preventing, type 2 diabetes. Chronic inflammation is thought to be one of the leading risk factors in developing type 2 diabetes and olive oil works to combat this due to being high in antioxidants. In fact, scientists have proposed that the antioxidants found in just 3.4 tablespoons of olive oil may work to reduce inflammation in a similar effect to 10% of the adult dosage of Ibuprofen.
Olive oil has also been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in that several studies have linked it to beneficial health effects on insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. In a study done to observe the health benefits of a Mediterranian diet, olive oil successfully reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by over 40%!