Health Benefits of Olive Oil People use olive oil in cooking, cosmetics, medicine, soaps, and much more. Olive oil originally came from the Mediterranean, but today, it is popular around the world and has many health benefits.
Vitamins and Minerals Olives are full of vitamins and minerals. They contain significant amounts of provitamin A (carotene) and vitamins B and E. In terms of minerals, calcium is the most abundant, but they have considerable amounts of potassium, iron and phosphorus.
Digestive System Olives stimulate the digestive process, making them ideal for stimulating the appetite. They also constitute a natural appetiser that increases production of gastric juices and facilitates digestion. The ingestion of olives also facilitates the emptying of the gallbladder, making it useful in diseases that affect this organ of the digestive system. In this respect, there is nothing better than eating a bowl of olives before a meal.
Improve Your Memory Another benefit of olives is that they strengthen memory, since they contain polyphenols— natural chemicals that reduce oxidative stress in the brain. According to some studies performed by the University of Massachusetts, ingesting a daily portion of olives improves memory by 25 per cent. This natural remedy will help you revitalize your mental state.
Improve Your Mood A Happier Life As part of a healthy diet (one that includes high intake of fruit and vegetable and oily fish) olive oil has been found to play a role in decrea sing the risk of depression. A 2015 study found that in older populations, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts, was associated with improved cognitive function, and there’ve been more studies into how it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. Other early research has suggested that olive oil may have protective effects against Type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer – however more research is needed before we can draw any firm conclusions.
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