Excerpt from The Healing Powers of Olive Oil: A Complete Guide to Nature’s Liquid Gold
(Kensington, February 2008)

For thousands of years people around the Mediterranean Sea, including the residents of the Holy Land, have lower rates of heart disease. The consensus is olive oil is the common thread.

Olive Oil Comes to the Rescue

Studies show that a daily intake of olive oil lowers the risk of heart disease of all kinds, including heart attack. Olive oil has been shown to thin the blood, lower blood pressure, and regulate cholesterol by reducing the bad kind (LDL) while maintaining the good kind (HDL). A healthful diet and lifestyle are key weapons in the battle to prevent heart disease—America’s number one killer for both men and women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

The good news is that olive oil may come to the rescue as it has for centuries in the Mediterranean world. Virgin olive oil may be more heart healthy than other vegetable fats, according to new research. European scientists have discovered that virgin olive oil may help lover heart disease risk because of its high level of antioxidant plant compounds, according to a past study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Both polyunsaturated (safflower, sesame seed and soybeans, many nuts and seeds, and their oils) and monounsaturated fats (canola, olive and peanut oils, and avocado) may help to lower your blood pressure and your blood cholesterol when you use them in place of saturated fats in your diet, report the AHA.

• Blood Pressure

According to the American Institute of Cancer Research olive oil is only a part of healthy eating in that part of the world. It’s the combination of eating little red meat or processed foods, eating more fish and vegetables, and drinking a little red wine that makes the diet healthful—not just one ingredient. It’s the total diet and lifestyle package—that may help keep blood pressure numbers normal—not just olive oil.

Past research shows this, too, that a Mediterranean diet, which is similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, is linked with both systolic (the top number which describes the heart’s force) and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number is the tension between the heartbeats). Olive oil may make a difference as well as fruits and vegetables to get a grip on blood pressure control.

And, chances are, if you have high blood pressure you may have high cholesterol, too.

• Cholesterol

Did you know that saturated fat is the main unhealthy culprit of high blood cholesterol? In adults, total cholesterol levels of 240 milligrams per deciliter or higher are considered high risk, and levels from 200 to 239 mg/dL are considered borderline high risk, according to the AHA.

Research proves that polyphenols can help you stay heart healthy. A study was done on olive oil and its effects on the heart. The findings: Olive oil raised the “good” cholesterol, lowered the total cholesterol, and lowered triglycerides. The results proved that polyphenol in the mononunsaturated fatty acid contains benefits for your HDL cholesterol and may lower your risk of developing other heart problems.

Mediterranean Diet Rx for Your Heart

The fact is, medical doctors will tell you that the older you get, the more your risk of high cholesterol and high blood pressure goes up.

While olive oil can help lower the risk of developing heart disease, again it is the wholesome Mediterranean diet and lifestyle (including regular exercise) that can help stave off heart problems, too. So, eat fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and poultry, eggs (in moderation), low-fat dairy—and antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil which may help keep you heart-healthy at any age. Bon Appetit.

Cal Orey is a disaster preparedness expert and the author of The Healing Powers of Vinegar, Revised and Updated, The Healing Powers of Olive Oil and SuperSensitives: Can You Sense Danger (Feb. 08). Log onto her websites at www.calorey.com and www.earthquakeepi-center.com for more information and links about disaster preparedness.