Olive OIl and heart health. - British Heart Fou...

British Heart Foundation

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Olive OIl and heart health.

Statex profile image
51 Replies

Did anyone view London Live "Trust me I'm a Doctor" on 21/11/2019 at about 9 am. Where a doctor reviews health matters, media health reports, etc. Just viewed it by chance and only for the 1st 10 minutes as I had to go out. He talked about research carried out by a Scottish university that analyses urine and the proteins in it to predict heart problems. to cut a long story short they came to the conclusion that if 20 ml of Olive Oil is taken daily it reduces your risk of a heart attack, improves heart health. etc. Does not have to be EV any olive oil was ok.

The Doctor presenting the program had the proteins in his urine checked and after taking 20ml of olive oil daily for 6 weeks they were reduced. He went on to talk about Rape Seed Oil etc but I did not see that pert of the program.

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Statex profile image
Statex
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51 Replies

I eat lots of olives rather than processed oil. That being said extra virgin is meant to be the best quality and should be ingested unheated for maximum benefit.

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to

Did you know eating olives in quantity isn't good for you cos of the salt content?

in reply to Lezzers

So

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to

So, maybe consider limiting how many you eat? Just a thought, it's your choice obviously ☺

in reply to Lezzers

No I agree your right, salt intake is important, how many olives should I limit myself to per day ?

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to

5/6??

in reply to Lezzers

So should I take 3 in the morning & 3 at nighttime?

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to

On second thoughts maybe 7 a week, so 1 a day is easier to remember!!

Surreychica_1 profile image
Surreychica_1 in reply to Lezzers

Hehehe none a week is the best and easiest to remember

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to Surreychica_1

Ha ha, even better!! They're far too moreish.

Heythrop51 profile image
Heythrop51 in reply to Lezzers

Would you miss 29th February?

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to Heythrop51

Never, its my brother in laws birthday 🎂

Heythrop51 profile image
Heythrop51 in reply to Lezzers

How old is he, about 13?

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to Heythrop51

Probably!

in reply to

Take any amount you like but it must be standing on your head in the bath facing towards Kings Cross station! Where has common sense gone?

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to

I think deano was just having a bit of banter with me!

Heythrop51 profile image
Heythrop51 in reply to

I haven't tried drinking a pint upside down since I was a student. Sounds like a Trafalgar Day stunt the state ratings got into when I lived in Plymouth!

Heythrop51 profile image
Heythrop51 in reply to

But 3 in the morning and 3 at night both equate to 3-00p.m. I would take them before bed rather than get up in the early hours!

Surreychica_1 profile image
Surreychica_1 in reply to Lezzers

That is quite correct. They are very salty and therefore not good for you in large doses. I love them to. But I always use Olive oil and extra virgin for cooking and salads.

Yasyass profile image
Yasyass in reply to Surreychica_1

What if u rinsed the olives

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers

Yay, we've used it for years. Good to know it's as good as they say.

in reply to Lezzers

No probs

Heythrop51 profile image
Heythrop51

I think this is a write-up on the original program:

bbc.co.uk/programmes/articl...

Khonkaen profile image
Khonkaen

My view is that olives are a fruit and EV means that the processing is very slight, basically sqeezing the oil out. Futhermore, I am pretty sure there are no chemicals required to produce it, we have 24 mature trees and they are heavy with fruit every year without me doing anything. They shake the tree and collect the fruit and wait a year.

We eat olives but not that many to make the salt an issue and the body needs salt easpecially in hot climates. Too little salt is more dangerous than too much and too much is usually a result of eating too much processed food, where it likes to hide.

Oiive oil is the only oil we use, but then we do get it for free ha ha! Sorry....I don't have much to gloat about these days.

Heythrop51 profile image
Heythrop51 in reply to Khonkaen

Do you take a few litres over to Thailand? What oil do they use there!

Khonkaen profile image
Khonkaen in reply to Heythrop51

Yes, it is very expensive here and they use mainly cheapo palm oil here and other rubbish.

I don't use a lot of oil, and when I say vegan, no oil, I am not that strict at all, I have to live. For example I cook chips in a mini oven with a tiny bit of oil, otherwise they are awful. On salads I have just a drizzle with balsamic vinegar, it is either that or mayo, I can't eat salads naked.

I eat a little meat too, but am going off that too but for ethical reasons, lead by my missus.

The Med diet uses a lot of oil as do vegans and that is unhealthy IMO.

Heythrop51 profile image
Heythrop51 in reply to Khonkaen

Yes, I don't eat salads or anything else naked! You could get bits of food over you and it would be quite dangerous with hot soup or similar! :)

MichaelJH profile image
MichaelJHHeart Star in reply to Heythrop51

We have had "The Naked Chef" on TV maybe the next program will be... Answers on a postcard...

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to MichaelJH

My postcard is on its way to you 😂

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to Khonkaen

I'm confused, a few days ago you said you have a vegan-ish diet and you don't use oils?

Lilypocket profile image
Lilypocket

Sounds very interesting. It backs up the " Mediterranean diet" theory ( a lot of fish, olive oil, vegetables ...)

Surely the point of the post is to alert us about the supposed benefits of olive oil and not how the delivery is achieved and since salt is not good in any large quantity it makes sense that virgin olive oil would be the most appropriate........

All you need to do, to make the most of this amazing morning tonic, is to take the juice of a ripe lemon and add it to a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and drink it up! The better the quality of olive oil, the more beneficial this exercise will be for you.

see food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/h...

in reply to

Sounds revolting why not just make a salad dressing with it?????

in reply to

I quite agree and to be honest, I only thought olive oil was good for cooking and although I have no need for it, have heard that some folk use it to get rid of wrinkles and fissures about the body. Now if it was cod liver oil, that's a completely different ball game and know that has many benefits for such things as joints etc.

in reply to

I think to get the maximum health benefits from olive oil its best when it’s not heated.

in reply to

I can still taste the b****y awful stuff that my mum used to ram down my throat every morning, yuk. Best thing for keeping joints healthy is to keep using them:)

Didn't stop me getting heart problems either!

HarryBell profile image
HarryBell

Olive oil is entirely different to rape seed oil, apparently. So go with Olive oil.

Also it is best poured over already cooked food or salads.

Khonkaen profile image
Khonkaen

I have a theory about olive oil consumption, related to CVD statistics, that moderation is a good idea.

The french who enjoy the lowest rates of CVD in Europe don't consume a huge amount of olive oil, compared to other Med countries like Spain and Italy. These other countries who also produce it, don;t enjoy such good heart health statistics.

Strangely enough the french prefer butter and use it and other dairy products a lot, well that was my experienced when I owned a house and spent a lot of time there.

My experience in Italy and Spain is that they drench everything in it, which to be honest I enjoyed, but not any more.

HarryBell profile image
HarryBell

I understand that there are some significant benefits from olive oil that are not present in Rape seed oil. I think the british rape seed lobby has possibly over-promoted its benefits.

HFB1262 profile image
HFB1262 in reply to HarryBell

Hi Harry. My understanding is that rapeseed oil has a higher smoke point than OO and is therefore better for cooking as it doesn't taint the taste as it get's hot, unless you burn the living daylights out of it. I cook with rapeseed and garnish with EVOO.

Well, if Olive Oil has some Cardio beneficial molecules, why can't pharmaceutical produce the highest "essence" in a tablet/capsules to take away all these "uncertainties"?

At least, then you can avoid using the bottled oil, once opened, it gets rancid sooner or later, or exposed to high salt content in equally rancid olives if kept in a fridge in plastic/or jars long enough.

After several decades of using the "old heart" which is already exhausted or wrecked by so many years of usage, I doubt "olive oil" therapy will produce any marked difference. It might make you feel good that you are doing something "nice" to do for your health.

It's a bit like, adding the superior oil into the dated engine in an old banger that has been running daily over the past several decades. If you have some idea as how oil gets metabolised, one could easily wonder if your/our beat liver could process that beneficial molecules contained in olive oil.

If one organ is badly damaged, it may be assumed that other organs i.e. GI system/liver etc may not be working, let's say, as good as in people, who are in younger age groups.

This is what ageing actually means. This idea of "beneficial oil" sounds like a magic bullet (unreal), of some sort, it probably is. Having some probably wouldn't be "harmful" but it would be unrealistic if i you expect it's going to make your heart suddenly "bounce back"!

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers

Certainly ties in with the The Ikaria Study which showed the islanders have a diet rich in olive oil along with their glasses of wine each day & plenty of exercise.

Beith profile image
Beith

The link provided by Heythrop51 takes you to the BBC programme page for Michael Mosley's 'Trust me I'm a Doctor' series. I think this particular episode was at least three years ago. The conclusion convinced me to start taking two dessert spoonfuls of olive oil every morning. I used to stir it into my porridge but I know take it raw. I recall that the conclusion of the programme was that it made no difference whether the oil was extra virgin or refined. Has it made a difference? No idea! When I had my triple heart bypass op four months ago, the surgeon told me that the heart disease was 'familial' so would have happened anyway ...

in reply to Beith

They all say that. . .except few "enlightened" Cardio Consultants.

Blaming your "bad DNA" is not necessarily "wise".

There's epigenetic.

They should also be just honest and honourable

rather than feeding one-liner as an excuse not to have a proper discussion on LIFESTYLE as if we were gullible imbeciles..

They should just say, "I HAVE NO IDEAS ON NUTRITION".

"Medical schools never taught me ANY".

Sorry for the cap. . . :)

I would have respected that honesty in Cardio.

But, instead, another easy "mantra" as if we would all believe

everything they say these days. . . Just tragic.

Beith profile image
Beith in reply to

Autumnsonnet - my experience with cardio consultants must be different to yours: all the doctors and nurses I met were compassionate, caring and honest. I was very surprised when I was told that I had four blocked arteries - one completely blocked and two others at 90%. In discussion with the consultant he made the comment that it was 'mostly familial'; that's not the same as saying I have 'bad DNA'.

My lifestyle (ignoring the excesses of youth of course ...) has been good - regular exercise, varied diet, not obese, no smoking and alcohol intake in line with recommended limits. I'm also an optimist - glass half full person - water in the glass of course ...

That's not to say that there weren't times of overindulgence ... but generally speaking I was pretty good.

The theory of epigenetics sounds reasonable to me, although studies have been limited.

If anyone isn't familiar with epigenetics, this is a good intro: youtube.com/watch?v=Udlz7CM...

This article by geneticist Adam Rutherford presents a balanced perspective:

theguardian.com/science/201...

I don't expect my cardiologist to be an expert in nutrition and I'm glad my off-pump triple bypass operation was performed by a qualified heart surgeon and not a nutritionist.

Harrison4 profile image
Harrison4

A friend from Spain who has a heart programme does the same with the olive oil

Statex profile image
Statex

They all say that it is genetic but my laymans theory is that family eating habits will be passed on to the children. When the parents over eat or eat a bad diet the children seem to follow the parents bad habits and therefore over a lifetime ruin their health. Both my parents had vascular problems and were overweight because of a fatty diet, cakes, suet puddings, fatty meat etc. I was given the same crap but changed when I left home.

When you see a fat parent in the street you usually see a fat child, They always blame their genes but if they learned to shut their mouths occasionally and not over eat, their health would be better.

People often say, when I mention that fact, that it is their genes not their diet

but they can't explain why they have a fat dog or pet in tow. I expect this post will ruffle a few feathers but people don't like the truth.

Maisiemay13 profile image
Maisiemay13 in reply to Statex

Hi does not ruffle my feathers,as far as I know neither of my parents were overweight or had any heart issues,I am reasonably fit have a BMI of 21 at 64 eat a veggie diet (last 25 years) and have PAF so it’s not always down to diet

in reply to Maisiemay13

This reply is not particularly directed to you, but what he means, I am guessing, is Cardiologist's overuse of the term, that we often get to hear, "oh, it's familial, genetic/heritable etc" to so many random patient because he's too busy to say much else.

It's a little different that they did "in fact" run the DNA tests that proved the point. Then, that's totally different altogether. He "investigated" on the genes responsible. You know, then that one's gene(s) was/were the factor.

Not all heart conditions/diseases are the same; many posters come with varied different HDs. I do believe there's some sort of "trend" in families. But it does not mean you get the same diseases as environmental factors e.g. diet, lifestyle, stress-level etc do vary.

HFB1262 profile image
HFB1262

Yeah. I fear that we are all products of what the food manufacturers and their shareholders want us to eat. Sod our health if it makes them money.

Hollysmum profile image
Hollysmum

I can't stand olives in any shape or form, and I rarely use any sort of olive oil. I use butter if I'm frying, or maybe lard. I don't worry at all about salt - I add some to the water if I'm cooking vegetables, and I sprinkle some on chips if I want to. I began to eat a much lower-carbohydrate diet at the beginning of September, and have dropped a whole dress size since then - I deliberately don't weigh myself. I feel better in myself - my bloated tummy has disappeared, I'm fitting happily into clothes that haven't fitted for well over two years. I don't suffer the "jippy tummy" that used to bother me most mornings. Nothing at all against olives or olive oil - if you like both, then that's brilliant - I just don't. Why limit the number of olives you eat to just five or six per day, as suggested by some on here?

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