This fat is a cut above the rest
So you've made the switch, buying olive oil instead of that over- processed, chemically enhanced, more-or-less useless vegetable oil we've learned isn't so good for us after all. But if you're buying the wrong kind of olive oil, you're wasting your time—and still not doing your heart any good.
That's right: There's a right and a wrong kind of olive oil. And the one that's considered the right kind, virgin olive oil, protects you from heart disease.
First of all, virgin olive oil is actually considered a good, healthy fat (called monounsaturated fatty acid). But that's not the only thing—or even the most important thing—that makes it good for your heart.
One study showed that virgin olive oil contains more antioxidants than refined olive oil, which is why it provides more protection for your heart.
Olive oil is made by a pressing process, in which the oil is squeezed from the olives in several stages. And virgin oil comes from the first pressing stage, causing it to glean more antioxidants than the refined olive oil, which is made in later pressings. Those antioxidants, called polyphenols, can play a big role in quelling inflammation, which is a major cause of heart disease.
One group of researchers decided to compare the effects that olive oils have on heart disease risk factors when consumed at different levels of polyphenol content.
The researchers gathered a group of 200 healthy European men, and divided them into three groups. One group ate a tablespoon of virgin olive oil every day for three weeks. Another group received refined olive oil. And the third group received a mixture of the two.
Then, two weeks later, the men were retested, but with a different type of oil than they had originally consumed.
When researchers ran a cholesterol check on the men, they found that those who had taken the virgin olive oil had higher levels of HDL "good" cholesterol and lower levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol than those taking more refined oils.
Continue on your path to making healthy changes—just tweak the olive oil change. It's as easy as grabbing a different bottle off of the grocery store shelf.
