Olive Oil Health Benefits?

[Chris71]

Olive oil is said to contain a lot of anti-oxidants, reduce cholesterol and even reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

It sounds like a bit of a super ingredient, but are there any downsides to it?

Specifically what puzzles me is the process of frying. Does this mean that shallow frying in olive oil is actually healthier than grilling? Taken to extremes, could you have fish and chips that reduce the risk of heart disease?

[littlegreenfairy]

I remember reading something about the health benefits being negated by heating it up the point of being able to fry with it. I can't remember exactly but it was something like that.

[bint]

I buy only olive oil and use for everything. Except maybe when I use sesame oil for dressings, which is rare as MOH hates salad dressings...

I shallow fry stuff in it and find it gives a really good finish but because it's thicker than most veg oils I find it takes longer to heat and smokes more.

Not entirely sure whether it's really REDUCED my cholesterol but certainly is tasty and not bad for you.

[grumbledoak]

Olive Oil does have good stuff in it, but it also burns at a low-ish temperature, spoiling the flavour and negating the goodies. Save it for salad dressings.

Use rape seed oil for frying. It handles the temp and is lower in saturated fats.

[Don]

grumbledoak said:

Olive Oil does have good stuff in it, but it also burns at a low-ish temperature, spoiling the flavour and negating the goodies. Save it for salad dressings.

Use rape seed oil for frying. It handles the temp and is lower in saturated fats.

Provided you don't have a nut allergy Groundnut (peanut) oil is brilliant for both deep and shallow frying. It is almost tasteless so the food tastes of the food and will withstand a high heat.

I use Olive oil for frying only if I want it for the taste.

[otolith]

The fats in olive oil are not the kind likely to directly cause heart disease. Like all fats, it's high in calories and therefore eating too much of it will help make you fat, which in itself carries health risks.

The best reason for consuming large quantities of olive oil is that it's delicious.

[i want an aero]

i jhave been told at the hospital to use olive oil and olive oil spreads now i'm diabetic. good job i like it

[dbroughton]

I have read that olive oil has a major anti-inflammatory component and a teaspoon had the same therapeutic effect as a dose of off the shelf anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen. Not sure what effect heating has on this but probably not great.

[scotal]

i want an aero said:

i jhave been told at the hospital to use olive oil and olive oil spreads now i'm diabetic. good job i like it

I'm intrigued, did they explain why?

[Chris71]

bint said:

Not entirely sure whether it's really REDUCED my cholesterol but certainly is tasty and not bad for you.

Allegedly it actually reduces LDL cholersterol.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats.h...