Protects against heart disease

The main cause of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the restriction on blood flow to the heart and consequently depriving the heart muscle of oxygen. This is due to the thickening and hardening of arteries due to fatty deposits in the walls of the arteries leading to the heart (this process is known as atherosclerosis). These deposits come from 4 main areas of nutrition, namely: fat, cholesterol, fibre and sodium.

Therefore nutritional choices have a huge impact on the health of the heart and your choice in fats in arguably one of the most important.

Olive oil is the healthy choice; it contains monounsaturated fat, a healthier type of fat that can lower the risk of heart disease. It achieves this by lowering the total ‘bad’ cholesterol in blood.

All types of olive oil contain monounsaturated fat; extra virgin and virgin olive oils are the healthiest because they are the least processed.

New research also proves that the phenolic compounds in olive oil, which have anti-clotting, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, contribute to better heart health.

Learn more about the facts on fats.