The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 1, 2004 announced the availability of a qualified health claim for monounsaturated fat from olive oil and reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
“There is limited but not conclusive evidence that suggests that consumers may reduce their risk of coronary heart disease if they consume monounsaturated fat from olive oil and olive oil-containing foods in place of foods high in saturated fat, while at the same time not increasing the total number of calories consumed daily.”.
Olive oil is one of the major foods in the “Mediterranean” diet which has been shown to both increase longevity as well as improve heart health. By substituting as little as 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for other dietary saturated fats daily the LDL lowering effects can be seen.
Olive oil is one of nature’s perfect monounsaturated fat sources. It improves heart health by both reducing LDL cholesterol and also stabilizing the LDL that our body produces on its own. LDL is considered the “bad” portion of cholesterol, while HDL is the “good cholesterol”.
Extra virgin olive oil directly reduces the body’s own production of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while maintaining the level of HDL (“good”). By doing this both the LDL and LDL - HDL ratio is improved leading to better heart health. At the same time the numerous antioxidant compounds in the oil reduce the changes in LDL that lead to its forming plaque in the arteries of the heart.
By only purchasing certified California Olive Oil Council (COOC) Extra virgin olive oils you are assured that you are buying oil with the recognized components to give you all these health benefits.
