Olive

Overview

Olive is a tree. People use the oil from the fruit and seeds, water extracts of the fruit, and the leaves to make medicine.

Olive oil is most commonly used for heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

In foods, olive oil is used as a cooking and salad oil. Olive oil is classified, in part, according to acid content, measured as free oleic acid. Extra virgin olive oil contains a maximum of 1% free oleic acid, virgin olive oil contains 2%, and ordinary olive oil contains 3.3%. Unrefined olive oils with more than 3.3% free oleic acid are considered "unfit for human consumption."

In manufacturing, olive oil is used to make soaps, commercial plasters and liniments; and to delay setting in dental cements.

Classification

Is a Form of:

Tree

Primary Functions:

Heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure

Also Known As:

Acide Gras Insaturé, Acide Gras Mono-Insaturé, Acide Gras n-9, Acide Gras Oméga 9, Common Olive, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How Does It Work?

Fatty acids in olive oil seem to decrease cholesterol levels and have anti-inflammatory effects. Olive leaf and olive oil might lower blood pressure. Olive might also be able to kill microbes, such as bacteria and fungus.

Uses

  • Breast cancer. Women who consume more olive oil in their diet seem to have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.
  • Heart disease. People who cook using olive oil seem to have a lower risk of heart disease and lower risk of first heart attack compared to those who cook with other oils. People who replace saturated fats in their diet with olive oil also seem to have a lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol compared to those who consume more saturated fat in their diet. High cholesterol and high blood pressure are risk factors for heart disease. Research also shows that following a diet that includes olive oil also reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease-related death compared to following the same diet that includes less olive oil. The FDA allows labels on olive oil and on food that contains olive oil to state that limited, but not conclusive evidence, suggests that consuming 23 grams/day (about 2 tablespoons) of olive oil instead of saturated fats may reduce the risk of heart disease. The FDA also allows products containing certain forms of olive oil to claim that consuming these products can reduce the risk of heart disease. It's unclear if higher dietary intake of olive oil is beneficial in people who already have heart disease. Results from research are conflicting.
  • Constipation. Taking olive oil by mouth can help to soften stools in people with constipation.
  • Diabetes. People who eat higher amounts of olive oil (about 15-20 grams per day) seem to have a lower risk of developing diabetes. Eating more than 20 grams per day is not linked with additional benefit. Research also shows that olive oil can improve blood sugar control in people with diabetes. Olive oil in a Mediterranean-type diet might also reduce the risk of "hardening of the arteries" (atherosclerosis) compared to polyunsaturated oils such as sunflower oil in people with diabetes.
  • High cholesterol. Using olive oil in the diet instead of saturated fat may reduce total cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol. But other dietary oils might reduce total cholesterol better than olive oil.
  • High blood pressure. Adding generous amounts of extra virgin olive oil to the diet and continuing with the usual treatments for high blood pressure can improve blood pressure over 6 months in people with high blood pressure. In some cases, people with mild to moderate high blood pressure can actually lower their dose of blood pressure medication or even stop taking medication altogether. However, do not adjust your medications without your healthcare provider's supervision. Taking olive leaf extract also seems to lower blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure.

Recommended Dosing

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

  • For constipation: 30 mL of olive oil.
  • For preventing heart disease: 54 grams of olive oil per day (about 4 tablespoons) has been used. As a part of a Mediterranean diet, consuming up to 1 liter of extra-virgin olive oil per week has also been used.
  • For preventing diabetes. A diet rich in olive oil has been used. Doses of 15-20 grams per day seem to work best.
  • For high cholesterol: 23 grams of olive oil per day (about 2 tablespoons) providing 17.5 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids in place of saturated fats in the diet.
  • For high blood pressure: 30-40 grams per day of extra-virgin olive oil as part of the diet. 400 mg of olive leaf extract four times daily has also been used for high blood pressure.

Olive Supplements  Asked Questions

What does olives do in a woman's body?

Skin and hair health

Black olives are rich in fatty acids and antioxidants that nourish, hydrate and protect. Chief among those is vitamin E. Whether applied topically or ingested, vitamin E has been shown to protect skin from ultraviolet radiation, thus guarding against skin cancer and premature aging.

How many olives should you eat a day?

Olives provide some fibre, vitamin E and healthy monounsaturated oils. And yes, they do count towards your 5-a-day portions. However, a portion of olives is about 80 grams weighed without the stones, which means you need to eat around 30 olives to make up one portion.

What is the healthiest olive?

While Kalamata olives are high in fat considering their serving size, the majority of their fat is monounsaturated, also known as a “healthy” fat. It is said a 4-tablespoon serving of Kalamata olives has 2.7 grams of monounsaturated fats, and 0.3 grams of polyunsaturated fats.

What vitamins are in olives?

Nutritionally, olives are a good source of a few micronutrients including vitamin E, iron, copper and calcium. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect our cells from oxidative damage, and there is evidence that this vitamin may play a role in obesity.

Can I eat olives everyday?

By eating a daily serving of healthy olives you can help improve your memory. Remember that! Beauty – Eating healthy olives helps skin stay soft and healthy since they contain oleic acid. Appetite control – By eating a few olives before a meal, you can take the edge off your appetite.

What happens if you eat too many olives?

Olives are a good source of oleate, which is a monounsaturated fatty acid. Over time, excess levels of salt in the body can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke, so people should eat olives in moderation.

Can olives make you fat?

Though olives may aid weight loss, they're high in salt and fat — and eating too many of them may offset your weight loss success. As such, you should moderate your intake, limiting yourself to a few ounces at most per day.

Are olives in a jar good for you?

Olives are typically high in salt due the fact that they are cured or packaged in brine or salt water, containing about 0.5g salt per five olives. Nutritionally, olives are a good source of a few micronutrients including vitamin E, iron, copper and calcium.

What is olive leaf capsules good for?

Summary. Preliminary studies suggest that olive leaf extract may have several health benefits. These include lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels, and reducing the risk of weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

Can you take olive leaf extract every day?

Dosage and Preparation

There is no recommended daily allowance for olive leaf extract. The standard dose ranges from 500 mg to 1,000 mg daily. Most supplement labels recommend splitting the dose, taking 250 mg to 500 mg two to four times a day with food.

How fast does olive leaf extract work?

After eight weeks, the olive leaf extract led to significantly lower blood pressure, with the higher dose having a greater effect. The most recent study, published earlier this year, was a randomised controlled study.

Can olive leaf extract make you sick?

If you feel under the weather after taking olive leaf extract — headaches, joint pains, flu-like symptoms — you're likely experiencing the die-off effect. Try increasing your fluid intake, and if the symptoms are too much to handle, decrease your olive leaf dosage to a manageable level.

What happens if you drink olive oil everyday?

Summary Olive oil is a healthy fat that contains anti-inflammatory compounds. Drinking it regularly may benefit your heart, bone, and digestive health and help stabilize your blood sugar levels.

Why olive oil is bad for you?

Bottom Line: Research has shown in both humans and other primates that diets high in fat and cholesterol promote atherosclerosis. ... “So while olive oil may be less bad than saturated fats and trans fats at least in terms of its impact on blood lipids, that hardly makes it a 'good' or 'healthy' addition to your diet.”

Does olive oil clog arteries?

Caldwell Esselstyn points out, “Between 14 and 17 percent of olive oil is saturated, artery-clogging fat—every bit as aggressive in promoting heart disease as the saturated fat in roast beef.”

Is olive leaf good for kidneys?

Olive leaf extract (OLE) has been demonstrated to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Conclusions: Olive leaf extract ameliorates gentamicin nephrotoxicity via antioxidant activity, increase of renal glutathione content, and increase of renal antioxidant enzymes activity, except for glutathione peroxidase.

Does olive leaf extract kill good gut bacteria?

Olive leaf contains a substance called oleuropein, which breaks down in the body to another substance called enolinate. On websites that promote olive leaf extracts, it is stated that enolinate kills harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the body, but at the same time nurtures microbes that are good for health.

Is olive leaf extract bad for your liver?

The olive leaves extract should be handled with care in arts and other animals and special attention should be paid when using OLE for longer periods of time and at higher doses as it may result in an undesirable effect on liver and kidneys as it has been shown in the present study.

Does olive leaf extract boost immune system?

Olive Leaf Extract helps to strengthen the immune system, remove toxins from the body and promote overall good health. Olive leaves have traditionally been used to enhance the functioning of the immune system and aid the management of viral infections, especially when fever is present.

Can I take olive oil before bed?

Pre-sleep quality olive oil treatment is being suggested to those with insomnia who would like to be able to fall asleep as well as improve the quality of the given rest throughout the night. This anti-inflammatory health benefit is possible once a good olive oil is taken consistently before retiring at night.

Can you take olive oil orally?

Due to the numerous health benefits of olive oil, it is typically used in cooking, but eating it raw is even healthier. A lot of health experts recommend eating olive oil in the morning, with just a dash of lemon juice. The lemon is added to make the oil more palatable and also give a boost to the digestive system.

Is coconut oil better than olive oil?

In terms of health impacts, it is better to cook with olive oil. Compared to a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of coconut oil contains about six times the amount of saturated fat, nearly meeting the daily limit of about 13 grams that the American Heart Association recommends.

Clinical Studies