Extra virgin olive oil

[Billyboybad]

Is it ok to put this extra virgin olive oil on food ? Or avoid it as my ldl cholesterol slightly higher than it should be. I thought it might help get my hdl up

[sos007 Ambassador]

I use it daily. It a good fat and will not elevate your LDL.

Dietary fat consumption is not materially important to cholesterol levels in the body as the liver produces 75% of the cholesterol in circulation.

Consuming fats is only of concern from the perspective of caloric density. It is easier to gain weight when you add fats to your diet. From that vantage point, use it sparingly.

Instead you should avoid sugar and sugar equivalents like agave, honey etc... and simple carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, white rice, white potatoes and white pizza dough. Whole grains are complex carbohydrates but they should be eaten in moderation.

If you are concerned about cholesterol levels, then you must increase your fiber intake. Focus on consuming more whole fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, and legumes such as beans, chick peas and lentils. Low sugar oat bran or 100% all bran cereal is also high in fiber.

Exercise daily for 30 minutes and reduce your animal protein portions to no more than 3 oz per day. Increase your dietary intake of fish to 2-3 meals per week.

Good luck and read the rest of my posts to learn how I did it.

[Markl60]

This is tricky, there are lots of studies that promote Olive oil as heart healthy, see the one linked below as a good example. On the other hand respected doctors such as Ornish and Esseltyn preach NO OIL not even olive oil and I have seen studies that cite Olive oil as promoting arterial dysfunction

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/248...

Here the Pritkin institute gives a negative run down on Mono fats like olive oil

pritikin.com/your-health/he...

[Markl60]

Here is the study that shows Olive oil impairs flow mediated dialation of the arteries and suggests that the Med diet is healthy despite the olive oil and not because of it

onlinejacc.org/content/36/5...

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to Markl60]

Does olive oil impair endothelial function temporarily or permanently? If temporarily, for how long? Vitamin C improves endothelial function as does a diet that includes leafy greens and a lifestyle that includes daily exercise. During the course of the day people's behaviour and our toxic environment will both impair and improve endothelial function - it just doesn't move in one direction. This is why we must understand such things as good dietary and exercise habits as well as the 'optimal' dosage of vitamin c, not just the minimum required to avoid a deficiency. A healthy diet and lifestyle along with micronutrient supplementation can allow you to enjoy some olive oil in moderation.

Sugar is far more prevalent in the western diet as are simple carbohydrates - these are proven to be far more damaging to the cardiovascular system. If these big items are minimized, then a little bit of olive oil is something that the body can surely handle.

[sandybrown in reply to sos007]

Two table spoons of olive oil or coconut oil daily?

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to sandybrown]

Sounds reasonable.

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to Markl60]

Here's a study that shows olive oil enhances endothelial function.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

This study says those on a Mediterranean Diet with higher consumption of MUFA oils (includes olive oil), had slightly improved endothelium function.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

I was speaking to a young lady who is in post-graduate school preparing for a career as a nurse practitioner. She said one of her courses involves reading medical studies, then finding their errors. The conclusion is that over 80% of medical studies have material errors that lead to unsupported conclusions.

I have accomplished my health goals, including improving endothelial function, while including olive oil in my diet. Therefore for me, I don't see any need, other than caloric density, to curb the use of extra virgin olive oil.

[sandybrown]

I use extra olive oil on a daily basis with my dinner. We do not use it for cooking. Some time I use it with tomato and cheese salad for lunch.

I have not looked at if it has helped with my cholesterol numbers.

[Markl60]

Check out the Pritkin centres take on what is wrong with Olive Oil

pritikin.com/your-health/he...

[sandybrown in reply to Markl60]

Thank you. Time has come for me to look deeper into, olive oil, butter and coconut oil!