OLIVE OIL’S BENEFITS

Olive oil is found in the central part of the food pyramid corresponding to the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean diet has its origins in the food traditions of ancient Crete and southern Italy. At first the Phoenicians and the Greeks and, later, the Etruscans and Romans brought this food culture to all regions of both bands of the Mediterranean Sea.

During the last third of the twentieth century and what we have in the XXI century, the Mediterranean diet has become more popular, thanks, on the one hand, to its richness in flavors and nuances and, on the other, to the benefits, guaranteed by every time more numerous studies, that this provides for health.

It is not accidental that olive oil, whenever it is virgin, occupies that central point in the Mediterranean diet. The extra virgin olive oil has a series of virtues that make it be considered the best culinary use oil that can be consumed today.

Here are some of the benefits that this exquisite culinary product brings to the human being:

Helps in the functioning of the digestive system: facilitates the digestive transit by preserving the sphincters (reducing acid reflux), activates the release of bile from the gallbladder, stimulates the absorption in the intestine of various nutrients such as calcium, iron and magnesium while inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol.

Prevents arteriosclerosis: arteriosclerosis, along with smoking, hypertension and obesity are the four most important risk factors for a heart attack. Low density cholesterol (LDL) is the main cause of arteriosclerosis; On the other hand, high density cholesterol (HDL) reduces this risk. Olive oil lowers the general cholesterol levels because it lowers LDL cholesterol levels without affecting those of HDL.

It has antioxidant effects: the oxidation process in our body is responsible for the acceleration of our aging at the cellular level. Oxidation is a complex phenomenon: oxygen, essential for life, participates in our body in multiple chemical reactions that, unfortunately, produce free radicals. These molecules, electrically charged, alter the cell membranes and attack the genetic material and cause the number of mitochondria to fall. The effects vary between the loss of cells beyond the ability to replace them, the inability of cells to develop some of their basic functions or disorders in their reproductive capacity that can lead to cancer. Raw olive oil, as well as some fresh fruits and vegetables possess Vitamin E, carotenoids and phenolic components.

Improves the functioning of the immune system: our immune system requires for its proper functioning a series of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients, many of which are present in abundance in olive oil. The fatty acids of olive oil, in particular, have a proven positive effect on the regulation of the immune system and effectively supporting the treatments of some autoimmune diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis, for example, which is a chronic inflammatory immune disease of unknown causes that affects the joints can be prevented thanks to the consumption of olive oil. A recently published study has found that people who consume less olive oil are 2.5 times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who consumed it more frequently.

It has anti-aging effects: vitamin E and the polyphenols present in olive oil have a beneficial effect, as we said earlier, slowing down aging thanks to the reduction of free radicals. However, this is not the only benefit in the elderly, in addition to this, olive oil seems to have a remarkable effect on the absorption of calcium, reducing the progress of osteoporosis, as well as a positive impact delaying cognitive decline, memory loss and the advancement of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.