Olive Oil  Usages

New research # 24

Olive oil Usages , New research # 24  is the topic of our today’s article. Olive known as “Zaitoon ” in Arabic language is God Gifted fruit to man kind. Olive is found in two colours, greenish and blackish. Greenish Olive is believed more health  beneficial. Olives originated in the region of southern Europe near the Mediterranean Sea. Currently the largest producing countries are in that same region, with Spain, Italy, Morocco, Turkey and Greece being the largest producers.

Contents;

• Olive.
• Olive oils.
• Extra virgin olive oil.
• Low and high Olive oil usage.
• Study results.
• How much EVOO per day  is enough?
• Achievements.

Olive.

Olive is a small  round shaped  fruit. It is found in the countries located around  the  Mediterranean sea. Olive has two colours, Olive green and black. Its tree is tall around 6 – 8 feet with many branches. People can eat it like any fruit. Olive oil is used in cooking and salad dressing.

Olive Oils.

Olive producing countries export Olive products in different ways;

• Olives with seeds are packed in air tight glass bottles . A light  white vinegar is also added in the bottle to extend the life of Olives. These bottles are  then sent to market or exported to other countries.
• Olive seeds are removed and a small piece of tomato is filled in the place of seeds. Air tight Glass bottles are filled with these olives and some white vinegar to preserve Olives . The stuff is ready to be sent to market or export.

Another way to gain more profit from olives is to extract oil from olives. Such olive oil have mostly four grades;

• Light olive oil.
• Pure olive oil.
• Virgin olive oil.
• Extra virgin olive oil.

Our topic ” Olive Oil Usages”  covers the health  benefits of Extra Virgin Olive oil. Always remember to Look at the label to find out exactly where the olive oil was produced. In addition, the label should say “extra virgin,” and avoid any terms like “pure,” “light,” or “olive pomace oil”—that means it’s been chemically refined.

Olive oil is a necessary part of popular Mediterranean diet. The countries surrounding Mediterranean sea cook their food in Olive oil. You must have noticed that spread of cancer is very low  in above countries. Olives and Olive oil play a great roll to save human being from cancer.

Earlier studies show that Extra virgin Olive oil usage  decreases the  risk of high blood pressure, inflammation,   obesity, high cholesterol, type -2  diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular diseases. What is not known  up till now, how much extra virgin oil in a diet is health beneficial.

Health benefits of Olive oil usages.

Extra virgin Olive oil  usages.

The difference between regular olive oils and extra virgin  olive oil is that regular olive oil is heated to extract the oil and refined while extra virgin olive oil is cold-pressed and left unrefined. Extra virgin olive oil is usually stronger in flavor and darker in color than regular olive oil.

Extra Virgin Olive oil is an incredibly versatile ingredient. You can use it for salads, soups, pasta, meat, and even desserts. From baking to frying, sautéing, roasting, and drizzling, its uses are endless.

Extra virgin oil also must have a free acidity percentage of less than 0.8 and conform to all the standards listed in its category. This is the highest quality rating for an olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil should have clear flavor characteristics that reflect the fruit from which it was made.

Low and high Olive oil usages.

A new study recently published in the  “Journal of the American Heart Association “ ,  the researchers came to know that high and low usage of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the diet has the same effects , to lower  ” low density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol levels. LDL is known as ” bad ” cholesterol  in the bloodstream . It is a marker for heart disease.

During the  above study, the researchers found in 4 weeks that participants who ate low level extra virgin olive oil diet have significant higher reduction in LDL cholesterol and blood sugar levels as compared to  the participants who consumed a high level of extra virgin olive oil diet.

The researchers recruited 30 female and 10 male for the study. Their ages were between 18 to 79 years. The all participants were at high risk for Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis is thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. Risk factors may include high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure,  diabetes, obesity, physical activity, and eating saturated fats.

The participants of  the study were divided into 2 groups .They were instructed to follow a whole-food plant based diet for 4 weeks.

• Group one consumed a high-use Extra virgin olive oil diet ( with 4 tablespoon of Extra virgin olive oil in a day ) .
• The participants of group two consumed a low-use diet of less than one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil a day.

Monica Aggarwal. MD., FACC, , clinical associate professor , adjunct in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the university of Florida , and the lead author of this study said in her own words:

” We know that plant based diets are better than the standard American diets. We also have compelling data on the Mediterranean diet. What has not been clear , whether certain components of the diet are more or less beneficial. One of the key  differences between a Mediterranean diet and a whole food plant-based diet is the amount of fat and specifically olive oil in the diet. I wanted to understand if the Extra virgin Olive Oil itself was good in a diet or just less bad than the alternative.

LDL cholesterol is considered bad cholesterol. It build plaque in the blood vessels. Read our article  “” Let us know our cholesterol -part 1. Glycemic index refers to blood sugar. ” Monica Aggarwal explained further.

Study results.

At the end of 4 weeks study, the researchers found the following results :

The participants of both groups consuming high-use or low-use extra virgin olive oil diets, showed a significant reduction in blood  LDL cholesterol levels.

Beside that, both extra virgin olive oil usage groups have similar reduction in cardiometabolic markers , total cholesterol, blood glucose, apolipoprotein B. (Elevated apolipoprotein B (apoB) levels indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. ApoB levels may be increased during pregnancy or coffee consumption, as well as during the fall and winter seasons.), HDL cholesterol and  High sensitivity  C- reactive protein. (Your liver releases more CRP into your bloodstream if you have inflammation in your body. High levels of CRP may mean you have a serious health condition that causes inflammation. Inflammation is your body’s way of protecting your tissues and helping them heal from an injury, infection, or other disease.)

How much EVOO per day is enough ?

Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian and owner of Nutrition-in-Sight said in her own words that:

“Four tablespoons of olive oil equate to approximately 480 calories and 56 grams of fat — this is a significant portion of calories and fat in a 1500-2000 calories diet from one source.

If the individual consumed any other whole plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut etc ., the lipid levels would be higher than recommended. Even though the fat sources would be derived from mono – and polyunsaturated sources versus saturated sources, too much of a good thing can become counterproductive and offset other nutrient levels and processes within the body.

She explained further that ” Fats tend to be filling takes longer to metabolized. It may not have been solely the amount of EVOO , but the other nutrient-dense foods that the higher amount of EVOO displaced.

In general, 450-540 calories from fat ( 50-60 grams per day ) would be recommended for a 1500-1800 calories diet daily, respectively.”

Richard further said that ” keeping in mind that 1 tablespoon of EVOO provides approximately 120 calories and 14 grams of fat. It becomes apparent at how quickly recommended amounts can be reached or exceeded when factoring in other sources, lack of measuring when cooking or preparing recipes, or eating out where control of what was being added to the meal is  out of your hands.”

Achievements:

• Olive oil is an important ingredient of the popular Mediterranean diet.
• Past researches have linked Olive Oil usage to decrease the risk of  several health conditions.
• The amount of olive oil usage for the best health benefits is not known.
• University of Florida’s researchers found that a low or high-usage extra virgin olive oil diet lowers the LDL, (” bad “) cholesterol in bloodstream.
• Scientists also discovered in a 4 week study that participants of the study consuming a low-use EVOO diet see an improvement in cardiometabolic markers.

source: medicalnewstoday.com

Last words:

I always pray to All-Mighty Allah to bless every body with good health and success in their lives.