Dr. Libby Weaver is an internationally acclaimed nutritional biochemist, author, and speaker. She is also an eight-time number one bestselling author. She has appeared on various publications where she shares her expertise and gives out advice to those who are in dilemma.
In her article post, a reader asked her about oils that would be great for cooking. The reader specified that she liked to use olive oil and if that was okay. Here's what the doctor had to say:
Olive oil is a great addition to your diet. As many of us may have heard, it is usually used in the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is still known as one of the most popular diets in the world. It emphasizes on fruits, fish, nuts, legumes, vegetables and olive oil because these are believed to give some of its protective effects.
One other important components of this healthy way of eating is the generous amount of fresh olive oil they use, which is most suitable on salads and for low temperature cooking. The safety of any kind of oil is usually based on its smoke point, in which the temperature at which the fat structure changes to be risky to the human health. Olive oil's smoke point is believed to be at 180 degrees.
Olive oil also has Monounsaturated fat which is considered the "good" fat and can take the place of animal fats for health and longevity. Having olive oil also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, since it helps improve the blood-cholesterol profile. It also helps lowers the formation of blood clots, and it can help in blood-glucose control, which is considered one of the most important factors to prevent type-2 diabetes.
There have also been studies showing the link between olive consumption and low cancer diagnosis of any kind. A study has also found that the use of olive oil may also prevent, if not treat illnesses like neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and rheumatoid arthritis.
