Olive oil does not cause weight gain or obesity
- Eating fat does not make you fat, and olive oil is no exception. Numerous studies have linked the Mediterranean diet’s high consumption of olive oil to beneficial effects on weight. A 2.5-year study of over 7,000 Spanish students who consumed a lot of olive oil found no link to increased weight.
In other words, high consumption of olive oil has not been linked to weight gain or obesity in observational studies. A three-year study of 187 participants showed that a diet high in olive oil increased blood antioxidant levels and caused weight loss.
Antioxidants in olive oil have anti-cancer properties
- Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. People in the Mediterranean region have a lower risk of certain cancers, and many researchers believe that olive oil has something to do with it. The antioxidants in olive oil can reduce oxidative damage caused by free radicals, which is thought to be one of the main drivers of cancer.
Several test-tube studies have shown that compounds in olive oil can fight cancer cells. Whether olive oil can actually help prevent cancer needs to be properly studied in humans.
Olive oil may help treat rheumatoid arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by deformed and painful joints. The exact cause is not yet fully understood, but it involves the body's immune system mistakenly attacking normal cells. Supplementing with olive oil appears to improve inflammation levels and reduce oxidative stress in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.
Olive oil appears to be particularly beneficial when combined with fish oil, which contains anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. In one study, olive and fish oils significantly reduced joint pain and morning stiffness, as well as increased hand grip strength in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Olive oil has antibacterial properties
- Olive oil contains many nutrients that can inhibit or kill harmful bacteria. One of these is Helicobacter pylori – a bacteria that lives in the stomach and can cause stomach ulcers and stomach cancer. Test-tube studies have shown that extra virgin olive oil is effective against eight strains of the bacteria, three of which are resistant to antibiotics.
In a human trial, it was shown that 30 grams of extra virgin olive oil could eliminate Helicobacter pylori infection in 10-40 percent of people in just two weeks.
