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Extra Virgin olive oil is the processed form of normal olive oil. The extra virgin olive oil benefits are immense. Olive oil is one of the best yet healthiest fats available in the market.
Extra virgin olive oil would variously change your life, ultimately making you healthy and fit. And extra virgin olive oil comes with a better shelf life. This article will help you great a brief knowledge about extra virgin olive oil benefits.
Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
People prefer extra virgin olive oil due to its long shelf life. If you have tasted the original olive oil, you will feel the change in flavour and taste in extra virgin olive oil.
This change is due to the processing and use of chemicals. But note that the processing involved in extra virgin olive oil is very little, and normally these are prepared by cold press or stone press1.
This process includes no heat in the whole preparation of olive oil, which makes it more favourable due to the presence of antioxidants and polyphenols2 in to absence of heat.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Benefits – 8 Benefits Explained
1. Highly Nutritious
You would see extra virgin olive oil benefits in building your overall health due to its high nutrient value. Extra virgin olive oil may differ from different manufacturers.
This oil has no fat content, and that’s the best thing for many people looking for fat-free oil. Just like olive oil, extra virgin olive oil is also packed with a good amount of calories (approx 126 grams in one tablespoon) if you add extra virgin olive oil benefits to your diet.
You will not find carbohydrates, protein, and fibre in olive oil, which is a drawback for many people. But also, this makes the extra virgin olive oil much better than other olive oils in supermarkets.
2. For Vitamins
Vitamins are essential for your body’s functioning, as they play various roles in building your body. You will find Vitamin E and Vitamin K3 in extra virgin olive oil to benefit your skin, hair, and whole body.
Vitamin K is really good for prothrombin production (an essential protein), prevents blood clotting, and increases metabolic rate. Vitamin E is another agent for skin health and prevents skin cancer by improving your overall skin health.
3. For Heart Health
The Mediterranean diet has always been one of the most recommended diets for heart health, and olive oil is one of the most vital parts of the Mediterranean diet.
The health benefits of olive oil would be immense for heart health. Various studies have shown that extra virgin olive oil benefits the heart due to oleic acid.
Oleic acid4 (one of the best monounsaturated fatty acids) is a great fat that would replace saturated fats pretty well. Oleic acid will improve your heart health, and it will lower your cholesterol level5. And hence, it is beneficial for reducing the risk of heart disease.
4. For Bone Health
Like regular olive oil extra virgin form of olive oil is another most favorable oil for bone health. Polyphenols are great for helping bone density. Actually, with age, your bone density is reduced, and you tend to lose bone mass.
Olive oil helps maintain your bone density and reduces the fear or risk of fracture in your hip. Mainly the mechanism behind this is the presence and working structure of a phenolic compound to help your bone health.
5. For Type 2 Diabetes
Olive oil will manage your blood sugar level. Normally after meals, your blood sugar levels tend to increase, which you can control by having meals with extra virgin olive oil.
Also, olive oil is a package of powerful antioxidants that will reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs due to sugar that is present in high quantities in your blood. Also, olive oil is a perfect choice for cooking foods loaded with anti-inflammatory properties.
Similarly, extra virgin olive oil will also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics to help with diabetes, as inflammation is one of the main causes behind so many diseases. And long term inflammation would build life-threatening diseases in your body.
6. For Antioxidants
Antioxidants are much needed for your body as they can boost your immune system to become more powerful and fight against many harmful bacteria and viruses entering your body.
Antioxidants play a very important part in improving your skin and hair health. Antioxidants prevent damage caused by free radicals that could be very dangerous for your skin.
It would benefit you if you did not skip adding antioxidants daily to fight off many harmful substances around you.
7. For Inflammation
Chronic diseases are mainly due to long-term inflammation (chronic inflammation6). Extra virgin olive oil is an astounding component to compliment your meals on fighting inflammation.
Oleocanthal is the main agent in treating inflammation. Also, it works very similar to the mechanism of ibuprofen, a well-known anti-inflammatory medication.
Oleic acid in olive oil can reduce C-reactive protein7, which creates inflammation. Also, the anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil are due to the antioxidants present in this oil.
8. To Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is the condition of your brain cells when they are stuck with many plagues called beta-amyloid. Some studies showed that extra virgin olive oil benefits in reducing these plagues.
Also, a Mediterranean diet that includes olive oil is said to improve brain function. But note that further research is needed to give strong evidence for extra virgin olive oil for brain health.
Key Takeaways
Extra virgin olive oil benefits will build your physical and mental health. This one would be a smart choice to stay away from diseases. Go ahead and pay a little more for such a beneficial oil for your body.
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FAQs
1. How do I use extra virgin oil in my food?
Ans. You can use extra virgin oil in your food by:
- You can drizzle your favourite salad with extra virgin olive oil.
- You can steam and roast the vegetables with extra virgin olive oil.
- Saute the vegetables and meat with this oil
2. Can we use olive oil for daily cooking?
Ans. Yes, using olive oil for daily cooking is very safe and healthy.
3. When is the best to have extra virgin olive oil?
Ans. The best time to have extra virgin olive oil is on an empty stomach or right after having breakfast.
- Tsimidou, Maria Z., Aspasia Mastralexi, and Onur Özdikicierler. “Cold pressed virgin olive oils.” Cold pressed oils. Academic Press, 2020. 547-573. ↩︎
- Abbas, Munawar, et al. “Natural polyphenols: An overview.” International Journal of Food Properties 20.8 (2017): 1689-1699. ↩︎
- Schurgers, Leon J., et al. “Novel effects of diets enriched with corn oil or with an olive oil/sunflower oil mixture on vitamin K metabolism and vitamin K-dependent proteins in young men.” Journal of lipid research 43.6 (2002): 878-884. ↩︎
- Sales-Campos, Helioswilton, et al. “An overview of the modulatory effects of oleic acid in health and disease.” Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry 13.2 (2013): 201-210. ↩︎
- Ashen, M. Dominique, and Roger S. Blumenthal. “Low HDL cholesterol levels.” New England Journal of Medicine 353.12 (2005): 1252-1260. ↩︎
- Pahwa, Roma, Amandeep Goyal, and Ishwarlal Jialal. “Chronic inflammation.” (2018). ↩︎
- Black, Steven, Irving Kushner, and David Samols. “C-reactive protein.” Journal of Biological Chemistry 279.47 (2004): 48487-48490. ↩︎
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