Looks like it pays to spend the extra money for extra virgin (unrefined) olive oil.
In Spain, researchers asked 24 men to prepare meals with either refined or extra virgin olive oil. After 3 months, the extra virgin oil was more effective at stopping the men's LDL (bad) cholesterol from oxidizing (Jour. of Nutrition, Dec 1999).
"We believe that white blood cells pick up only oxidized LDL and deposit it in the artery lining," says Ella Haddad, DrPh, RD, researcher at Loma Linda University in CA. "So the high levels of antioxidants in extra virgin olive oil may slow formation of atherosclerotic plaque."
And extra virgin olive oil has also dramatically reduced the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Greek study. Those with the lowest lifetime consumption of extra virgin olive oil had a 2 1/2 times greater chance of developing RA than those with the highest (Amer. Jour. of Clinical Nutrition, Dec 1999).
"If you have RA in your family and want to take every possible step to protect yourself, you might try adding olive oil to your diet," says rheumatologist Hayes Wilson, MD, Arthritis Foundation spokesperson. "And since the type of oil consumed in Greece is extra virgin, that may offer additional protection against RA."
In Spain, researchers asked 24 men to prepare meals with either refined or extra virgin olive oil. After 3 months, the extra virgin oil was more effective at stopping the men's LDL (bad) cholesterol from oxidizing (Jour. of Nutrition, Dec 1999).
"We believe that white blood cells pick up only oxidized LDL and deposit it in the artery lining," says Ella Haddad, DrPh, RD, researcher at Loma Linda University in CA. "So the high levels of antioxidants in extra virgin olive oil may slow formation of atherosclerotic plaque."
And extra virgin olive oil has also dramatically reduced the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Greek study. Those with the lowest lifetime consumption of extra virgin olive oil had a 2 1/2 times greater chance of developing RA than those with the highest (Amer. Jour. of Clinical Nutrition, Dec 1999).
"If you have RA in your family and want to take every possible step to protect yourself, you might try adding olive oil to your diet," says rheumatologist Hayes Wilson, MD, Arthritis Foundation spokesperson. "And since the type of oil consumed in Greece is extra virgin, that may offer additional protection against RA."
