Olives belong to the Drupe family, A fruit that grows on the olive tree that is scientifically known as Olea Europaea, and it is known for its green and black varieties, as the latter is green immature to turn black as a sign of ripeness, knowing that the weight of these fruits ranges between 3- 5 grams, on the other hand, olives are used in the preparation of many dishes such as salads, sandwiches, and appetizers, in addition to its oil, which occupies a high place in the Mediterranean diet, as 90% of olives in these areas are used to extract its oil, and in this article will be discussed the health benefits of olives.
Usually, nutrition experts recommend eating approximately 7 grains of olives per day because of their secrets and high nutritional value to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
The olive fruit is nutritious and rich in essential minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, copper, and iodine. It contains essential vitamins and amino acids. It contains powerful antioxidants because it contains B vitamins, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E.
It contains oleic acid, which is a beneficial and essential mono fatty acid for the body that has beneficial properties that protect the heart. It is available and affordable, and is used in many recipes and cuisines.
Among the most important features that distinguish olives of all kinds, green or black, are the following:
The Benefits Of Olives:
The qualities of Olive that can provide Benefit to your body are below:
1-For Heart And Arteries: In addition to their role in protecting nerves, given that the oxidation process that occurs inside the body is linked to the emergence and development of many diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, and on the other hand, olives increase glutathione levels In the blood, it is a powerful antioxidant that contributes to the reuse of antioxidants, whose main role is to prevent diseases, which explains the health benefits of olives.
By reducing bad “LDL” cholesterol and raising the level of “good” HDL cholesterol. Your arteries are more flexible, which helps withstand strokes and heart attacks.
Olives provide the most important thing that preserves cardiovascular health, As its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to healthy fats and minerals such as copper, as well as vitamins such as vitamin E, which all relieve symptoms of heart disease, and is a good source of beneficial fats, studies have shown its ability to lower blood pressure, due to its content of oleic acid, reduced blood pressure and cardiovascular infections.
2- Strengthening Immunity And Combating Free Radicals: Containing antioxidants such as Vitamin A and Vitamin E, olive oil benefits from fighting inflammation and boosting immunity by combating free radicals. Some research has recently proven its role in combating breast cancer specifically, as olive oil contains substances that work to fight and kill cancer cells and destroy them.
The fatty acids present in olive oil play a role in promoting the health of the immune system and supporting it in fighting pathogens that enter the body.
3- Improving The Level Of Memory: Where olives contain polyphenols, and substances that fight free radicals and reduce oxidative stress in brain cells, the most important of which is vitamin E, and some research has found a role for olive oil in combating Alzheimer’s.
4- Supplying Energy And Controlling Appetite: Since a serving of olive oil, which is a small spoon, contains approximately 5 grams of beneficial fats and 45 calories, it reduces hunger when consumed, helps to feel full, and reduces the amount of food eaten later, especially sugars.
Research has found that olives have a role in reducing the level of appetite. The monounsaturated fatty acids that olives contain are considered slow digestion, which stimulates the hormone cholecystokinin (the hormone of satiety in the body). Also, these fatty acids help to encourage the burning of fats in the body by stimulating the secretion of a chemical substance called adiponectin.
5- Olive Oil Treats Anemia: Olives are a good source of iron, as a cup of olives contains approximately 4.4 mg of iron. The mineral iron helps synthesize carnitine, an amino acid that turns fats into energy.
Iron is also included in the composition of hemoglobin in the blood.
6- Fight Aging And Promote Healthy Skin: With olives containing oleic acid, it has found properties in preserving the skin and its elasticity and preserving its moisture and softness.
Also, with powerful antioxidants such as Vitamin E, free radicals are eliminated, anti-aging, wrinkles, and wrinkles are fought, and the skin is smooth and healthy.
Olive oil also found a role in treating eczema, cracked hands and feet, and sunburn. It is also very beneficial for the scalp and hair, it prevents dryness of hair and moisturizes dry scalp.
7- Good For Digestive System: Olive oil strengthens the stomach and helps facilitate digestion, and it may help in many cases.
8- Relieves Pain And Inflammation: The health benefits of olives as well, regular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers have the effect of reducing pain, but at the same time, they damage somebody’s systems, note. Olives also act as a natural pain reliever, as it provides ibuprofen in its natural form, and limits the growth of enzymes that cause inflammation, which results in injury. Preventing cardiovascular diseases, and on the other hand, olive tree leaves and fruit extracts are used in folk medicine, as the latter limit the growth of some viral, fungal, and bacterial infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
9- Diabetes And Obesity: Its content of monounsaturated fats reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes and obesity, and its antioxidants limit the damage caused by oxidative stress associated with diabetes, and this explains why it is an effective treatment for complications of this disease as well as hyperglycemia, as for its role in reducing obesity, It appears in a single-blind, randomized study based on a comparative experience of a group that consumed olive oil instead of other oils, to note that it reduced blood pressure and increased levels of beneficial cholesterol for this group, in addition to the health benefits of olives, which include maintaining heart health and metabolism, Knowing that its participants are obese and over the age of 65 years.
10- It Provides Probiotics: A review of several studies has shown aphids. Shura in the European Journal of Nutrition, that the phenolic compounds in olives increase the number of beneficial bacteria – probiotics – that produce vitamins and antibacterial chemicals in the body, which explains the health benefits of olives, specifically the ability to improve gut health and enhance the function of the microbiome.
On the other hand, it is a good source of fiber, as one cup of it covers the daily needs of the body from it, by up to 20%, and this will improve the functions of the digestive system, and stimulate the movement of the intestine, as well as to ensure the proper movement of smooth muscles in the intestine, and in the same context Helps to feel full and reduce the chance of overeating afterward.
11- It Has Anti-Cancer Properties: Olives are classified as one of the best food varieties. Which fight cancer, as phenolic compounds have shown anti-tumor capacity, especially in the breast, colon, and stomach – knowing that the Mediterranean regions are distinguished from European and American countries with much lower levels of cancer.
12- It Also Provides Anthocyanins: It acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Thus, reducing the incidence of cancer, as it contains oleic acid – mentioned previously – which in turn inhibits growth factor receptors, which contribute to the development of breast cancer, and on the other hand, hydroxytyrosol limits the DNA mutation and the growth of abnormal cells, and its peel provides maslinic acid that It is associated with apoptosis, especially colon cancer cells.
The incidence of osteoporosis reduces bone loss. Several studies have shown its effectiveness in forming and maintaining bones. In the same context, the phytonutrients in olives play an important role, especially if a therapeutic diet is added for patients with osteoporosis, [3] as the compound hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein increases calcium deposition and bone growth and reduces the incidence of this disease.
13- It Has Antioxidant Properties: On the other hand, olives increase glutathione levels In the blood, it is a powerful antioxidant that contributes to the reuse of antioxidants, whose main role is to prevent diseases, which explains the health benefits of olives.
14- Health Benefits Of Olive Oil On An Empty Stomach: Taking a dose of olive oil every day is not only good for the heart, but it may also help with weight loss and pain relief.
Although there is no conclusive evidence about the link between the benefits of olive oil and eating it on an empty stomach specifically, there are certain benefits of taking olive oil in general, and they are as follows:
Weight Loss:
A diet rich in olive oil contributes to facilitating weight loss, and drinking olive oil is a great way to take advantage of its benefits to get rid of obesity, as the researchers concluded that drinking olive oil regularly causes more weight loss than a low-fat diet, with the need to avoid excessive consumption.
Cardiac Diseases:
Drinking two tablespoons of olive oil daily helps reduce the risk of heart disease, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, as olive oil contains monounsaturated fats, which is a healthy type of fat.
So using olive oil in place of saturated and unsaturated fats reduces the risk of heart disease, and olive oil is effective against oxidative stress, which is associated with many diseases, including cardiovascular disease.
15- Improve the health of skin, hair and nails: One of the most important benefits of consuming olive oil on an empty stomach is that it improves the health of skin, hair, nails, and even bones.
As olive oil moisturizes the hair and skin, and nourishes both nails and bones.
There are many recipes in which olive oil is used to moisturize, strengthen and increase hair thickness, and other recipes for both skin and nails as well.
Also, olive oil strengthens the stomach and helps facilitate digestion, and in many cases, it may help in treating constipation.
