What are the benefits and functions of olive oil

Everyone knows that olives are very useful fruits, but do you know how to use olive oil? Let me introduce it to you.

Introduction to Olive Oil

Olive oil has a history of thousands of years in the Mediterranean countries. In the West, it is known as "liquid gold", "queen of vegetable oils" and "nectar of the Mediterranean" because of its excellent natural health and beauty effects and ideal cooking uses. Edible high-grade olive oil is natural fruit oil juice extracted from fresh olive fruits that are ripe or ripe through physical cold pressing. It is the only woody vegetable oil in the world that is edible by humans in its natural state.

Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive oil can protect the cardiovascular system in many ways:

1. Prevent inflammation and reduce damage to arterial walls by lowering homocysteine;

Second, it relaxes arteries and lowers blood pressure by increasing the amount of nitric oxide in the body;

Olive oil can further prevent arteriosclerosis and its complications, high blood pressure, heart disease, heart failure, kidney failure, and cerebral hemorrhage.

The monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil can reduce the oxidation of LDA cholesterol. Eating olive oil can effectively reduce the occurrence of cholecystitis and gallstones.

Olive oil can improve and enhance the function of the endocrine system, and has certain effects on preventing diabetes and beauty.

The role of olive oil

1. Promote blood circulation

Olive oil can prevent arteriosclerosis and its complications, high blood pressure, heart disease, heart failure, kidney failure, and cerebral hemorrhage. In the book "Omega Health: A Simple and Easy Longevity Plan" written by Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, it is mentioned that ω-6 fatty acids in edible oil can cause arteries to contract, thus forcing the heart to overload and cause high blood pressure. The ω-3 fatty acids in olive oil can increase the amount of important chemicals such as nitric oxide, which can relax your arteries and prevent arterial damage caused by high blood pressure. In addition, ω-3 fatty acids can prevent the formation of blood clots in two ways. First, it can reduce the viscosity of platelets, making it difficult for platelets and fibrinogen to entangle together; second, ω-3 fatty acids can reduce the amount of fibrinogen, which greatly reduces the chance of thrombosis.

Improve digestive system function

Olive oil contains more unsaturated fatty acids than any other vegetable oil, rich vitamins A, D, E, F, K and fat-soluble vitamins such as carotene and antioxidants, and contains no cholesterol, so the digestion and absorption rate of the human body is extremely high. It can reduce gastric acid, prevent gastritis and duodenal ulcers, and stimulate bile secretion, activate pancreatic enzyme activity, degrade fats, and be absorbed by the intestinal mucosa to reduce the occurrence of cholecystitis and gallstones. It also has the function of moisturizing the intestines, and long-term consumption can effectively relieve constipation.

Protect your skin

Olive oil is rich in squalene and essential fatty acids, which have excellent affinity with the skin. It is quickly absorbed and effectively maintains skin elasticity and moisture. The rich monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamins E, K, A, D and phenolic antioxidants in olive oil can eliminate facial wrinkles, prevent skin aging, and have the effects of skin care, hair care, and preventing and treating chapped hands and feet. It is a beauty and skin care product that can be "edible". In addition, applying olive oil to the skin can fight ultraviolet rays and prevent skin cancer.

Improve endocrine system function

Olive oil can improve the metabolism of organisms. This is because olive oil contains more than 80% monounsaturated fatty acids and ω-3 fatty acids, and DHA in ω-3 fatty acids can increase insulin sensitivity. The higher the content of unsaturated fatty acids in the cell membrane, the more double bonds it has, and the stronger its activity. DHA with 6 double bonds is the most unsaturated fatty acid, so it makes the cell membrane the most active. The more active cell membrane insulin receptors there are, the more sensitive it is to insulin. When the human body consumes an appropriate proportion of fatty acids, the metabolism will be more normal, and the chances of obesity and diabetes will be reduced. The latest research results show that after healthy people consume olive oil, the glucose content in their bodies can be reduced by 12%. Therefore, olive oil has become the best edible oil for preventing and controlling diabetes.

Benefits to the skeletal system

The natural antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in olive oil help the body absorb minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, zinc, etc., which can promote bone growth. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids help maintain bone density and reduce osteoporosis caused by free radicals (highly active molecules).

Anti-cancer effect

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the ω-3 fatty acids in polyunsaturated fatty acids can reduce the amount of linoleic acid extracted from the blood by cancer cells, depriving cancer cells of a very necessary nutrient. ω-3 fatty acids can also compete with ω-6 fatty acids for the enzymes needed by cancer cells in metabolism, making the cell membranes of cancer cells more unsaturated and easier to damage, inhibiting the growth of tumor cells and reducing the incidence of tumors. Therefore, it can prevent certain cancers (breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, uterine cancer): In addition, ω-3 fatty acids (polyunsaturated fatty acids) can also increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which kill cells by attacking the cell membrane through the outbreak of free radicals (highly active molecules). When the cell membrane is sufficiently damaged, the cancer cells will self-destruct. And ω-3 fatty acids make the cell membrane more vulnerable to free radical attacks, thereby increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Radiation protection

Olive oil also has the function of radiation protection because it contains polyphenols and lipopolysaccharides. Therefore, olive oil is often used to make food for astronauts. People who often use computers regard it as a good product for health care and skin care. Before using the computer for a long time, you can use olive oil to massage your face and eyes, or you can use bath products rich in olive oil to achieve the same effect. Please note that due to the different content of olive oil and laurel oil, the radiation protection effect achieved is also different.

Making baby food

Olive oil is the most suitable oil for infants based on its composition and digestibility. Half of the calories of infants come from the fat in breast milk. After weaning, the calories they need must be obtained through fat in the diet. The ratio of linolenic acid and linoleic acid in the nutrients of olive oil, which cannot be synthesized by the human body, is similar to that in breast milk and is very easy to absorb. It can promote the growth and development of infants' nerves and bones. It is an excellent nutritional supplement for pregnant women and a growth agent for the fetus. It is also a good tonic for postpartum and lactation periods.

Anti-aging

Among the many ingredients in olive oil, carotene and chlorophyll give olive oil a yellow-green color, and chlorophyll plays a role in metabolism, promoting cell growth and accelerating wound healing. It also helps to beautify the appearance of people and reduce the formation of wrinkles. Experiments have shown that the antioxidants contained in olive oil can eliminate free radicals in the body, restore the health of human organs, prevent brain aging, and prolong life.

Prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Olive oil can protect the cardiovascular system in many ways. ① It prevents inflammation and reduces damage to the arterial wall by reducing homocysteine ​​(an amino acid that can damage the walls of coronary arteries). ② It relaxes the arteries and lowers blood pressure by increasing the content of nitric oxide in the body. ③ The monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil can reduce the oxidation of LDA cholesterol. ④ Olive oil contains a substance called squalene, which can increase the content of HDL (good cholesterol) in the body and reduce the content of LDL (bad cholesterol). The more HDL cholesterol in the body, the less oxidized LDL cholesterol in the arteries. The latest research shows that after taking olive oil, the average cholesterol of middle-aged men dropped by 13%, and the dangerous "bad" cholesterol dropped by 21%. ⑤ Olive oil can reduce the rate of blood clot formation by increasing the content of ω-3 fatty acids in the body.

Olive Oil and Blood Pressure

Hypertension is high blood pressure in the arteries. It is considered high blood pressure when the blood pressure readings are consistently above 140/90 mmHg. High blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. It is one of the major health problems in developed countries, along with high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes. Like other risk factors, lifestyle has a direct impact on high blood pressure. One in four adults has high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the risk of premature death due to the damage it causes to the body's arteries, especially those supplying blood to the heart, kidneys, brain and eyes.