Olive Oil deserves its nickname: liquid gold. Olive Oil use dates back thousands of years, starting with Mediterranean cultures that STILL use it as a mainstay in their diets. Scientists are discovering new health benefits of this wonder product every day. These are some of the more mainstream uses and benefits of Olive Oil:
Health Benefits of Olive Oil You Need to Know
- It’s an unrivaled moisturizing agent. Use it on your face, elbows, feet, wherever – it’ll get the job done. It’s even used for sunburn and rashes—diaper rash, especially. Using olive oil in one’s hair is a timeless practice. It’s an organic alternative to conditioner. It lends a shiny luster that isn’t too greasy and does away with dandruff.
- Many women use this oil as an effective make-up remover. It’s said to remove the toughest waterproof mascara and it saves you from using chemicals and soap that might get in your eyes.
- Applying a sparse layer on your skin before shaving is much healthier than using shaving cream.
- Effective against breast cancer is one of the benefits of Olive Oil. Oleocanthal is a phytonutrient in Olive Oil that has been proven to be effective against Breast Cancer by killing cancer cells. It is also a rich source of antioxidants.
- A ‘low fat diet’ has always been the treatment-plan-of-choice to prevent diabetes and cardio-vascular problems, but contemporary research is shattering that old paradigm, and putting a new one on the table. Some fats go a long way in preventing the very same diseases, those being monounsaturated fats, which are found in high concentrations in olive oil. To prove this point, a study by the journal Diabetes Care found that a Mediterranean diet rich in Olive Oil brings down the likelihood of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 50%.
- Olive oil also helps the heart stay ‘younger’ by preventing the age-related deterioration of arterial function. A French study in neurology also showed that ‘intensive users of Olive Oil have a 41% lower chance of developing stroke.
- Olive Oil is a player in the battle against Osteoporosis. This is a bone mineral disorder especially common in postmenopausal females and results in the debilitating loss of bone architecture.
- I bet you didn’t know that olive oil prevents depression as well. It’s true!
- The antioxidants found in Olive Oil are invaluable in the fight against skin cancer, especially malignant melanoma—the most dangerous variety of that disease. Using sunscreen can help block out the harmful oxidizing rays, but an internal level of defense is always great. Statistically, only 3 in every 100,000 denizens of an average Mediterranean country develop skin cancer, and that has a lot to do with their diet.
- Metabolic Syndrome is a crippling disease that ties in central obesity, Diabetes T2, as well as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Olive Oil, in addition to other components of the Mediterranean diet has been scientifically proven to dramatically bring down the incidence of this disease.
- Olive Oil is arguable one of the healthiest substance on the planet. This should be a central component of not only your diet plan, but your medicinal stash and cosmetic kit.