Diabetes Benefits of Olive Oil

A key component of the highly advised Mediterranean diet is olive oil. Given how strongly the Mediterranean diet is advised, everyone ought to head straight to their local supermarket and cook with olive oil. Easy enough, huh? Yes, in a certain way.However, is everything ever truly that easy?

Facts about Olive Oil’s Nutrition

Two grams of saturated fat, fourteen grams of total fat, zero grams of sugar, zero grams of cholesterol, and zero grams of fiber are found in one tablespoon of olive oil. All of the calories are from fats, and it lacks protein but is a high source of vitamins E and vitamins K. Nothing too exciting to get too worked up about thus far, is there?

Olive oil’s composition of fats is what makes it such a beneficial cooking oil. There are 103 mg of omega-3 fats and 1318 mg of omega-6 fats in it. Furthermore, it has more than 10 grams of mono-or poly-unsaturated fats, which are the healthiest kinds of fat.

In addition, olive oil contains nearly 30 grams of phytosterols, a class of plant-based compound that resembles cholesterol chemically but protects the heart by preventing the absorption of cholesterol from diet and reducing the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol linked to heart disease.

Last but not least, olive oil is a great source of plant-based antioxidants including oleocanthal and oleeuropein, which can help lessen the oxidative damage that high blood sugar levels do to our bodies.

What Kind of Olive Oil Is the Best?

Although it can be distressing, a lot of people manufacture and market olive oils that contain less than 100% olive oil! Because olive oil has grown so widely available, several varieties exist that aren’t 100% pure olive oil.

Thus, the first step should be to purchase reliable, well-known brands of extra virgin olive oil and to limit your purchases to 100% of this type of oil. Extra virgin olive oil is simply pressed; it is not heated or treated with chemicals. A few years ago, Consumer Reports tested twenty-three different olive oils: only nine passed.

You can visit the testing facilities or search for these labels that say the companies willingly submit their olive oil for purity testing.

How Is Olive Oil Beneficial for Diabetes?

Olive oil has several benefits for diabetics.

• As said, olive oil has a significant antioxidant content. By lessening the oxidative stress brought on by elevated blood sugar levels, antioxidants can lower the chance of developing diabetes-related problems such as diabetic neuropathy, retinal neuropathy, hypertension, and heart disease.

• One food that reduces inflammation is olive oil. Using olive oil can lessen inflammation and the harm that chronic inflammation can do to cells, as inflammation is the primary cause of most chronic diseases, if not all of them. Diabetes and its consequences are known to be significantly influenced by chronic inflammation. Oleocanthal, the main compound in olive oil with anti-inflammatory properties, works on the COX enzyme system similarly to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.

Heart and vascular disease risk is decreased by olive oil through:

• lowering the degree of inflammation
• keeping LDL cholesterol (commonly referred to as “bad” cholesterol) safe from oxidative damage, which turns it into “bad” cholesterol
• lowers the chance of blood clots
• reduces blood pressure
• strengthens the blood vessel lining
• possibly preventing Type III diabetes, also known as Alzheimer’s disease

Read Also: Unexpected Advantages of Bitter Melon for Diabetes

Extra virgin olive oil is generally very recommended. It may be used in cooking, drizzled over breads, and added to salads. However, the best results may come from lower temps because the fats in the oil are less likely to be damaged by heat.

With any luck, you were able to incorporate olive oil into your diet and maintain good health!

DiabetesCouncils Article | Reviewed by Dr. Jerry Ramos MD on June 06, 2020

Citations

1. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/509/2
2. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/phytosterols
3. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/09/how-to-find-the-best-extra-virgin-olive-oil/index.htm
4. https://authoritynutrition.com/extra-virgin-olive-oil /
5. Lucas, Lisa, Aaron Russell, and Russell Keast. “Molecular mechanisms of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory benefits of virgin olive oil and the phenolic compound oleocanthal.” Current pharmaceutical design 17.8 (2011): 754-768.
6. http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050829/full/news050829-11.html