Health Benefits of Olive Oil, Uses And Its Side Effects

Olive oil, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, is a liquid fat extracted from olives (fruit of Olea europaea and belonging to the family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop grown in the Mediterranean Basin. The oil is obtained by pressing whole olives. The fruit of olive is a small drupe about 1.0 to 2.5 cm long, thinner-fleshed and smaller in wild plants than those grown in orchards.

They are harvested in green to purple stage. They contain a seed commonly referred to in British English as a stone, and in American English as a pit or a rock. The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, time of harvest, altitude, and extraction process.

Compositionally olive oil predominantly consists of oleic acid (up to 83%), with lesser proportions of other fatty acids, including linoleic acid (up to 21%) as well as palmitic acid (up to 20%). Extra-virgin olive oil needs to have no more than 0.8% free acidity and is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.

Let check out nutrition data of olive oil. It is the best edible oil in terms of palatability, stability, lipid profile, and safety profiles. For 100g (3.5oz) of olive oil the nutritional value is such that energy is 3,701 KJ (885 kcal), fat is 100g (of which saturated fat is 14g, monounsaturated fat is 73g, polyunsaturated fat is 11g and omega-3 fat to omega-6 fat is 3.5g to 21g), Vitamin E and Vitamin K are 14 mg and 62 μg respectively. Carbohydrates and proteins are, however absent.

Different Types of olive oil is present such as Extra virgin olive oil, Virgin olive oil, Refined olive oil, Olive pomace oil and Unfiltered olive oil.

You can use Olive in cooking and make hundreds of dishes from it. You can add Olive oil in your salads. Olive oil benefits for hair regrowth and prevent hair loss. Olive oil is good for the face and its antibacterial properties helps in acne and skin hydration. Mentioned below are the best health benefits of Olive Oil. We also discuss olive oil side effects and cultivation procedures.

Olive oil has a wide range of uses. It is used as a hair conditioner, used for clearing up acne, as a substitute for shaving cream, for cleaning greasy hands, removing paint from hair, polishing of furnitures, etc.

Side effects of olive oil includes acne (if used excessively), can show acute allergic reactions in people sensitive to it, skin rashes, breaking the skin’s natural moisturizing abilities in case of dry skin, blackheads, inflammations, gall bladder stones, minor to moderate diarrhoea.

Regular consumption of unprocessed olive oil can increase the risks of lethal diseases like atherosclerosis, obesity, heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, and colon cancer. Olive oil lowers the blood sugar level below normal and may lead to health problems like hypoglycemia, sweating, trembling, weakness, etc.

Over-consumption of olive oil can cause a massive fall in the blood pressure and may lead to problems like dizziness, lightheadedness, stroke, and even kidney failure.

The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean basin. Wild olives were collected by Neolithic peoples as early as the 8th millennium BC. The wild olive tree originated in Asia Minor or in ancient Greece. It is not clear when and where olive trees were first domesticated. Archeological evidences have shown that olives were turned into olive oil by 6000 BC and 4500 BC in Palestine.

Until 1500 BC, eastern coastal areas of the Mediterranean were most heavily cultivated. Evidence also suggests that olives were being grown in Crete as long ago as 2,500 BC. The earliest surviving olive oil amphorae date to 3500 BC (Early Minoan times), though the production of olive oil is assumed to have started before 4000 BC.

Olive trees were certainly cultivated by the Late Minoan period (1500 BC) in Crete, and perhaps as early as the Early Minoan. The cultivation of olive trees in Crete became particularly intense in the post-palatial period and played an important role in the island's economy, as it did across the Mediterranean. Recent genetic studies suggest that species used by modern cultivators descend from multiple wild populations.