What are the health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil?
The health benefits of olive oil came to the forefront with the publicity surrounding the Mediterranean diet. When medical experts and researchers studied the health of people living in the Mediterranean, they found that this group had the lowest recorded rates of chronic disease and the highest adult life expectancy of any other region. These researchers found that diet played a major role in their good health–a diet that included, among other things, olive oil. High in monounsaturated fat and rich in cancer-inhibiting antioxidants, olive oil is the principal source of fat in the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil has been found to promote HDL, or good cholesterol, and lower LDL, or bad cholesterol. • Do not be misled by olive oils labeled “lite”. This is simply a marketing term and a “lite” olive oil does not contain any less calories than extra virgin olive oil (about 120 calories a tablespoon). Furthermore, lite oils are blends of refined, chemically extracted products! • Why are some
