Oil From Really Ugly Trees
So Doc, are there any health benefits to olive oil?
Not if you were a bus driver near Athens, Greece in October 1976. This unnamed man drove off the road, crashed into a 3,000 year old olive tree and split the trunk into four pieces. This wasn’t any regular olive tree either – it happened to be near the ruins of one of the first organized schools in the History of the world. A school started by a guy named Plato. The shade of this tree was reputed to have been used by Plato himself to lecture to his pupils. (Sarasota Herald Tribune – October 9, 1977).
Sounds like the tree was a goner!
Yes . . . they thought olive it was gone but were surprised a year later to see new growth from the trunk.
Very punny Doc. That’s an old tree!
Olive trees can live on average for 300-600 years but some, like the poor olive tree in our story, was carbon dated to around 3,000 years old.
So what’s the answer? Does olive oil really prevent heart attacks?
In Spain they studied three groups of people at high risk for heart disease over five years. One group ate a plant-based diet with extra-virgin olive oil, another group ate a plant-based diet emphasizing nuts, and the third group ate a low-fat diet. The group that ate the olive oil diet had less heart attacks and death from heart disease than the group eating a low-fat diet.
Are there more studies about extra virgin olive oil preventing heart attacks?
Yes. Italian women with a prior heart attack had a 44% lower risk of heart attacks when they ate a diet high in extra virgin olive oil compared with women who didn’t. In 40,000 people in Spain followed over 10 years, those with the lowest heart attack risk ate the most extra virgin olive oil. One study out of Greece showed that people with prior heart attacks who exclusively used extra virgin olive oil had a 47% reduced risk of another heart attack.
Any studies from the good ole US of A?
Yes. Eating about 1/2 tablespoon amount of olive oil daily had an 18% reduced risk of heart attacks in 90,000 Americans followed for about 20 years. They also had decreased body inflammation levels and had higher good cholesterol. The benefit was also seen when olive oil replaced things like margarine, dairy fat and mayonnaise.
So what is extra virgin olive oil?
It comes from really ugly olive trees . . . Okay moving on.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Made by crushing or grinding olives to get the oil. NO chemical processes, heating, or additives are used. Full of healthy fats, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and anti-inflammatory agents. Low-burn point so it’s best for dipping bread, dressings, dips, and cold dishes. Looks greenish.
Pure or Light Olive Oil: Goes through chemical processes to remove the olive taste. Contains around 10% virgin olive oil. Looks yellow or clear. Much of the heart protective stuff has been removed.
So what is the difference between green and black olives?
Green olives are picked before being ripe while black olives are ripe. Purple olives just need to start breathing.
So why is extra virgin olive oil so good for the heart?
Besides it being high in fats that prevent heart disease, extra virgin olive oil has anti-oxidants such as polyphenols which decrease inflammation. It has been shown to decrease the ability of bad LDL cholesterol to become “weaponized” and damage blood vessels. Extra virgin olive oil also reduces blood clotting (which is the cause of heart attacks in the first place).
Does olive oil lower blood pressure?
Since olive oil is fat, does it cause me to gain weight?
Another cool study showed that a Mediterranean style diet rich in extra virgin olive oil led to weight loss of two to three pounds over 3 years in patients at high risk of a heart attack. Two pounds isn’t much but it wasn’t weight gain!
Anything else you want to tell me about olive oil?
Every Christmas you sing about a great olive.
Really?
Yes. Olive, the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names.
Summarize it for me, Doc?
A diet rich in extra virgin olive oil may lower the risk of a heart attack, lower blood pressure, decrease blood clotting, increase good cholesterol, and decrease body inflammation.
Awesome and funny column as usual, doc.
But — why is Tim’s blood pressure staying high, when we eat a plant-based diet and nothing BUT olive oil (mostly extra virgin olive oil)? Too much stress from retiring and starting a new career in real estate sales, perhaps?
Thanks for keeping us in the lubdubdoc loop. 😉
Karla