Cholesterol Reduced by Olive Oil -- Study

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Cholesterol Reduced by Olive Oil -- Study

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MONTPELLIER, France, Apr. 17,-- Olive oil has long been touted as an

essential part of the healthy Mediterranean diet, but new evidence

appears to show exactly why --

 

it helps reduce the oxidation of LDL of 'bad' cholesterol, linked to

the hardening of the arteries.

 

 

 

Writing in the April edition of the European Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, a team led by Dr M. C. Lopez-Sabater from the University

of Barcelona said they had calculated that LDL or 'bad' cholesterol

levels could be cut substantially after consuming just 25

millilitres of extra virgin olive oil for one week.

 

 

 

Dr Lopez-Sabater's team focused on just 16 people, all of whom were

told to avoid foods such as coffee, tea and vegetables rich in

phenols.

 

Once they had avoided phenol-rich foods for four days, the 16

subjects were given 50 mL of virgin olive oil and were then told to

avoid all other foods containing phenols for a further 24 hours.

 

After that, they simply ate regularly for the next week, although

they continued to take in extra virgin olive oil every day.

 

 

The volunteers also avoided high-fat foods such as butter,

margarine,refined cooking oil, overly processed refined foods

and baked foods.

 

After just one week of supplementation with olive oil, the blood

samples taken from the participants were found to contain higher

levels of antioxidants such as vitamin E and phenols.

 

There were also higher levels of oleic acid (omega 9)

the predominant type of fat in olive oil, and monounsaturated fatty

acids, both of which are indicative of reduced LDL oxidation rate,

the researchers said.

 

The researchers stressed that while all types of olive oil are

sources of monounsaturated fat,

the fact that virgin olive oil is less processed than others means

that it also contains higher levels of antioxidants.

 

Other types of phenols -- notably those found in products such as

red wine and onions -- have been shown to help control cholesterol,

but little is yet known about the potential benefits if olive oil.

 

" Our results support the idea that daily ingestion of virgin olive

oil could protect LDL from oxidation, " Lopez-Sabater said in the

article.

 

" In addition to the LDL-lowering effect of virgin olive oil, our

results suggest that an intake of 25 mL/day could increase the

resistance of LDL to oxidation because it becomes richer in oleic

acid and antioxidants.

 

These benefits could be achieved by including virgin olive oil

daily in our diet. "

[source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;56:114-120]

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/CholesterolFacts.html

 

[source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;56:114-120]