The FDA says eating 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of heart disease, due to its monounsaturated fat content. Extra virgin olive oil also contains polyphenols which act as antioxidants, reducing the oxidative stress throughout your body. This oil, part of the Mediterranean diet, is a traditional fat that has been a dietary staple for some of the world's healthiest populations. There is actually quite a bit of research behind the health effects of olive oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Weight Loss. While it's not certain that drinking extra virgin olive oil can help you lose weight, including the oil as part of a healthy diet may support your weight loss efforts. These effects may be due to the satiating power of a fatty acid found in olive oil called oleic acid.
10 extra virgin olive oil benefits you never knew.
1. It’s good for your sex life:
No wonder the greatest lover in history was Italian: extra virgin olive oil may even improve your sex life. Casanova must have had excellent circulation for all those conquests; olive oil boosts circulation to all areas of the body, including those hard to reach erogenous zones.
2. Weight loss secret weapon:
Twenty litres of extra virgin olive oil every year and most Mediterraneans still aren’t fat. According to Leandro Ravetti, Chief Oil Maker of the award-winning Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oils, a diet rich in extra virgin olive oil may deliver greater and longer lasting weight loss results than a low-fat diet.
3. Diabetes deterrent:
Eating extra virgin olive oil as part of a balanced diet may help prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. Ravetti says extra virgin helps “regulate and balance our insulin levels, so you’re not really having those spikes.”
4. Pain relief:
Extra virgin olive oil contains a substance called oleocanthal, which has anti-inflammatory agents, meaning olive oil is like a natural Ibuprofen. Research increasingly suggests inflammation impacts a number of chronic diseases, so olive oil’s anti-inflammatory properties grow more compelling all the time.
5. Skin savior:
Extra virgin olive oil helps with anti-ageing, osteoporosis and skin damage. “One that’s proven is that it adds a protective coating on the skin, both through consumption and application,” says Ravetti.
6. Mental agility:
Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, which research suggests helps prevent or slow down the cognitive decline associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s.
7. It strengthens your immune system:
Loaded with antioxidants – vital for strengthening and protecting your immune system – extra virgin olive oil may help you become more resistant to infection. This wide range of important antioxidants isn’t found in other oils.
8. It keeps your body running smoothly:
It’s not just vehicles that benefit from a regular oil change; extra virgin olive oil contributes to the operational health of such vital areas as the stomach, pancreas and intestines.
9. Pregnancy aid:
Not only can olive oil application assist in avoiding stretch marks, consuming extra virgin olive oil while pregnant may improve your child’s psychomotor reflexes and more.
10. Longevity:
Since extra virgin olive oil assists in the prevention and/or reduced impact of so many diseases – including certain cancers – it’s no exaggeration to say it may even help you live longer. Not bad for something that’s also delicious.
