Olive oil can be added to just about any meal or salad and is the staple of a Mediterranean diet. Did you know that people in Mediterranean regions have lower cancer rates and better heart health? It seems like olive oil isn't just tasty, but is natural health insurance.
Olive oil is sometimes called liquid gold, and there are many ways to use the oil for life's challenges and to improve your health such as lowering cholesterol. LDL cholesterol, deposits in the arteries, blocking the blood vessels and heightening the risk of heart disease. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat that actually combats the buildup of plaque in the arteries and does not remove health or HDL cholesterol which helps remove the harmful cholesterol from the body.
Several large studies have also concluded that consumption of olive oil helps to lower blood pressure. One study concluded that taking the oil reduced the incidence of hypertension in men, while an additional study in the American Journal of Hypertension concluded that polyphenol rich olive oil helps reduce blood pressure in young women with mild hypertension.
A study from Greece linked higher intake of olive oil with a lower risk of cancer. Preferring olive oil to other added lipids, particularly those containing saturated fats, may reduce the risk of developing upper digestive and respiratory tract neoplasms, breast, and possible colorectal and other cancer sites.
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