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Olive oil is the backbone of the well-researched Mediterranean diet. All of its calories come from its beneficial fats, including omega 9s, omega 3 and primarily, omega 6s.
Monosaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats are the most beneficial to health, and of the dietary oils, olive oil is the richest source. Specifically, olive oil has up to 77 percent monounsaturated oleic and palmitoleic fatty acids, 14 percent saturated palmitic and stearic acids and 9% polyunsaturated linoleic and linolenic fatty acids.
Linoleic Acid
Linoleic acid, abundant in olive oil, is an omega-6 fatty acid. While omega-3 fatty acids, such as linolenic acid, are better known for their health benefits, the diet and health of skin and hair require a balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega 6
The American diet tends to contain a large amount of omega-6s, which can convert to the inflammatory arachidonic acid, especially when the source of them is meat. Plant sources of omega-6 fatty acids convert to gamma-linoleic acid, which is anti-inflammatory, before becoming arachidonic acid.
The Mediterranean diet, which is well recognized as an effective means of combating heart disease, is rich in plant sources of omega-6s, including olive oil.
Nutrients And Minerals
In addition to fatty acids, olive oil contains the fat-soluble nutrients vitamin E, mostly as the potent antioxidant alpha-tocopherol, and vitamin K. Several minerals are found in olive oil as well, including calcium, iron, potassium and sodium, all in fairly small amounts.
Not only does olive oil not contain any cholesterol it is a good source of plant sterols, which have been shown to decrease cholesterol.
Better clinical studies are needed to determine whether the change in cholesterol that comes from consuming plant sterol-rich foods prevent deaths from heart disease, but it has been shown that a diet rich in phytosterols improves LDL, the type of cholesterol identified as a risk factor for heart disease.
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Reviewed By:
Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.
