A healthy diet means a healthy life. A lot of studies showed the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This type of diet consists of fruits, vegetable, white meat, and olive oil. The most important of these components is the oil, of course.
All studies showed that this type of oil is great for our health but they did not say why. A new study made by Spanish researchers mentioned the benefits of olive oil and why it is so good for us. The lead author of the study is Dr. Alvaro Hernaez.
The benefits of olive oil
The author of the study mentioned that this oil is good for us because it improves the function of our heart. This is because the olive oil maintains a healthy blood flow and it also cleans our arteries. A Mediterranean diet can decrease the risk of heart diseases.
The author of the study, Dr. Hernaez mentioned that the antioxidants from olive oil might be the ones responsible for the benefits of this oil. This is because they help remove cholesterol from arteries. Despite the fact that it is believed that oil is not good for our bodies, olive oil is actually great.
In order to conduct this research, the scientists examined more than 290 adults. The average age of the participants was 66. Due to the fact that they had a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, they were assigned 3 diets.
The first group had to maintain a Mediterranean diet with additional extra virgin olive oil. The second group had the same diet but instead of oil, they had 30 grams of nuts every day. The last group had a simple low-fat diet.
After the participants followed these diets for a year the researchers examined them again. The findings showed that those who had a low-fat diet had lower levels of LDL. Blood tests showed that those who consumed the additional olive oil had better HDL functioning.
The researchers also mentioned that a Mediterranean diet can help people decrease their risk of heart disease. They completed by saying that there are more reasons for which olive oil and a Mediterranean diet, in general, have this impact on our health.
What is your opinion about this study?
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