The American Heart Association states that cardiovascular disease kills one American every 38 seconds. The AHA also warns that excess cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of developing this disease. Decreasing your consumption of saturated fats improves the health of your heart. Olive oil is a heart-healthy fat that helps you lower your blood cholesterol and reduces your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Types
Olive oil extraction methods result in four categories of oil. Extra virgin oil comes from the first pressing of the olives. It is the purest oil and has the highest levels of beneficial components and nutrients. The second pressing produces virgin olive oil. Pure olive oil can be a mixture of refined olive, along with virgin or extra virgin oil. Olive-pomace oil contains the refined residue of olives and virgin olive oil.
Components
Oleic acid is the primary active component in all olive oils. This is a monounsaturated fatty acid. In virgin oil, the oleic acid content is usually 80 percent. Olive oil also contains linoleic acid -- a polyunsaturated fatty acid. It ranges from 4 to 10 percent, according to Drugs.com. The content varies, depending on purity of the oil. Unsaturated fats are better for your health than similar amounts of saturated fats.
Olive oil also contains beta-carotenes, which your body turns into vitamin A -- an antioxidant. The phenols, tocopherols and flavonoids in olive oil are also antioxidants. MayoClinic.com states that the antioxidants in olive oil decrease LDL cholesterol by preventing the oxidation process that it needs. They also help your body repair damage that LDL cholesterol causes.
Evidence
MayoClinic.com states that consuming approximately 2 tbsp. of olive oil daily lowers your LDL cholesterol, but has no effect on your high-density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol. The "New York Times" reports that olive oil also helps cholesterol-lowering statin medications work better.
A study by by L. Appel and colleagues in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" in 2005 indicates that olive oil consumption decreases LDL cholesterol. The study reported that participants who consumed a diet high in monounsaturated fats during a two-year trial had decreases in LDL cholesterol.
Considerations
Olive oil is a fat, like butter, margarine and other cooking oils. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that you should consume fats in moderation, because all fats have high calorie content. Each tablespoon of olive oil contains 120 calories. The USDA's recommended total daily intake for fats is between 20 and 35 percent of your daily calories.
Using Olive Oil
To obtain health benefits from olive oil, replace saturated fats -- those solid at room temperature -- with olive oil in recipes, salad dressings and as a substitute for butter and margarine on bread. Use olive oil when broiling, basting and searing meats. Increase the flavor that olive oil adds to your food by adding fresh herbs such as basil or rosemary to bottled olive oil.
References
- North American Olive Oil Association: Olive Oil Fact Sheet
- MayoClinic.com: Cholesterol
- Drugs.com: Olive Oil
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: MyPyramid -- Why Oils
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, Chapter 6 Fats
- PubMed.gov: Effects of Protein, Monounsaturated Fat, and Carbohydrate Intake on Blood Pressure and Serum Lipids: Results of the Omniheart Randomized Trial
