Olive Oil ...

[Guest guest]

There was no link sent with this,

Remedy MS, AS, RA, BP olive oil:

A recent study from the Monell Chemical Senses Center

in Philadelphia demonstrated how four teaspoons of

extra-virgin olive oil taken daily for 12 weeks

reduced pain and morning stiffness among rheumatoid

arthritis patients. In the journal Nature, the Monell

team reports that the key to olive oil's effectiveness

is oleocanthol.

Oleocanthol is a pungent compound that has been shown

to inhibit two key inflammation triggers: COX-1 and

COX-2 enzymes. In other words, oleocanthol and

ibuprofen have the same beneficial effect on

inflammation. But that's where the similarity ends.

Because while ibuprofen can prompt bleeding and

gastrointestinal damage, olive oil does not. In fact,

extra-virgin olive oil can be quite good for you.

A 2002 study from the University of Barcelona reported

that virgin olive oil contains high levels of vitamin

E and phenols. Phenols contain flavonoids -

biologically active compounds that are remarkably high

in antioxidants. The study concluded that virgin olive

oil may inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, and

might even do a little cancer fighting as well.

And in the e-Alert " Club Med " (11/24/04), I told you

about a University of Athens Medical School study in

which researchers assessed dietary data, blood

pressure, physical activity and clinical variables on

more than 20,000 subjects. The result: High intakes of

olive oil, vegetables and fruits were significantly

associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood

pressure. And of these three factors, olive oil proved

to have the most beneficial effect on blood pressure.

Writing about the Monell study in Healthnotes

Newswire, Alan R. Gaby, M.D., notes that researchers

don't know if oleocanthol remains intact after the

refining of extra-virgin olive oil. ( " Extra-virgin "

indicates that the oil is made from only freshly

harvested olives.) Dr. Gaby adds: " Several other

compounds with potent antioxidant activity are almost

entirely lost in the refining of olive oil; also,

refined olive oil is less effective than extra-virgin

olive oil as an inhibitor of LDL oxidation. "

HSI