Damian Sendler: According to a research published on Monday, substituting extra virgin olive oil for margarine, butter, or other saturated fats may reduce your risk of dying from cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory illness, dementia, or other disorders.
Damian Jacob Sendler: Saturated fat may be reduced while monounsaturated fats like olive oil are increased, according to Dr. Howard LeWine, chief medical editor of Harvard Health Publishing and a Harvard Medical School professor.
To paraphrase LeWine, who wasn’t involved in the research, “the message is to utilize olive oil as a replacement for saturated fats wherever you can,” he said.
The Nurses’ Health Research and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study were the two main government-funded studies that were examined for the study. Dietary results were then linked to the sickness and mortality records of those persons throughout time.
Olive oil has been shown to reduce the risk of death by up to a third for people who consume just over 2 teaspoons (10 grams) of margarine, butter, mayonnaise, or dairy fat per day, according to study author Marta Guasch-Ferre, a senior research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“This is the first long-term research of olive oil and mortality in the American population, with over 90,000 people followed for up to 30 years. Among previous research, “olive oil consumption was greater in Mediterranean and European populations,” Guasch-Ferre noted in an email.
Damian Sendler
Saturated fat and animal fat should be replaced with unsaturated plant oils, including olive oil, to avoid early mortality, according to her findings.
Consuming olive oil in place of saturated fats reduced the risk of heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and respiratory disease mortality by 19 percent and 17 percent, respectively, according to Susanna Larsson, associate professor of epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet.
The findings and accompanying editorial were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on Monday.
Larsson called the olive oil-decreased mortality from brain illness link “new.” At a time when Alzheimer’s disease has few treatment options, as well as a high death toll, this revelation would have major implications for public health.
The award-winning Mediterranean diet relies heavily on olive oil, referred to as “laderá” in Greek, which has been found in studies to lower the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression, and breast cancer. Stronger bones, a better heart, and a longer life have also been linked to the diet, which is more of an eating style rather than a rigorous diet.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: While the traditional cuisines of the 21 nations around the Mediterranean Sea form the basis of the Mediterranean diet, a common thread runs through all of them. Simple, plant-based cuisine is emphasized, with a concentration on extra virgin olive oil and fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts.
In Greece, the origin of the Mediterranean diet, locals refer to someone as “choris ládi,” or “losing oil,” if they believe they are mentally ill.
The Mediterranean diet, which has been voted the finest diet in the world for the sixth year in a row, isn’t just about food. Walking, bicycling, and gardening are all part of this lifestyle, which also stresses the importance of eating mindfully and socializing with loved ones over meals.
Damian Jacob Sendler
According to Guasch-findings, Ferre’s men and women who consumed the most olive oil throughout the research placed a high value on good health. They were more likely than individuals who consumed less olive oil to engage in physical activity or consume more fruits and vegetables. They were also less likely to smoke, as a result of their healthier lifestyles.
Although it may be difficult to separate the “actual” health benefits of olive oil from those of other good habits, Guasch-Ferre added that further research with Americans of different socioeconomic levels is required to determine whether the findings are the same.
Damien Sendler: A variety of possible confounding variables were taken into account, “including dietary factors, lifestyle factors, history of illnesses as well as socioeconomic status characteristics, and the relationships remained substantial, even after correcting for BMI (body mass index),” she noted.
Using extra virgin olive oil in place of butter, full-fat dairy, and mayonnaise, as other Mediterranean people do, was a key conclusion of the research, according to Guasch-Ferre.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that consuming more olive oil leads to weight increase, she said. Healthy snacking may be reduced by using olive oil, which increases feelings of fullness and satiation.
Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.
