just-food.com
April 19, 2002

EU: Olive oil reduces oxidation of bad cholesterol
just-food.com editorial team

Including 25ml of virgin olive in our daily diet may substantially reduce cholesterol levels after just one week.
New evidence presented in this month's European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that olive oil helps reduce the oxidation of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol, which is linked to hardening of the arteries.
A team led by Dr M. C. Lopez-Sabater of the University of Barcelona studied 16 people who were told to avoid foods such as coffee, tea, wine and vegetables for a four-day period. This is because they contain phenols (antioxidant products which can help attack harmful free radicals) and the researchers wanted to see whether olive oil could increase phenol levels without this additional help.

After this four-day preparation period, the subjects were given 50ml of olive oil and told to continue avoiding the food listed above for 24 hours. After this they resumed their normal diet, but took a daily supplement of 25ml. They also kept away from high-fat foods such as butter, margarine, nuts and eggs.

After just one week, blood samples showed higher levels of antioxidants such as vitamin E and phenols. They also showed higher levels of oleic acid and monounsaturated fatty acids, both indicative of reduced LDL oxidation rate.

Lopez-Sabater said in the article: "In addition to the LDL-lowering effect of virgin olive oil, our results suggest that an intake of 25 ml/day could increase the resistance of LDL to oxidation because it becomes richer in oleic acid and antioxidants. These benefits could be achieved by including virgin olive oil daily in our diet."