How Does Olive Oil Lower Blood Pressure?

Monounsaturated fat and polyphenols present in olive oil help lower blood pressure. According to the World Health Organization, high blood pressure is responsible for nearly half of the heart disease in the world and two-thirds of strokes. Incorporate olive oil into your diet and enjoy the health benefits.

Monounsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated fat is the healthiest type of fat. It promotes a healthy heart and may even help prevent cancer. Nearly 77 percent of the fat in olive oil is monounsaturated. This monounsaturated fat reduces bad LDL cholesterol levels without affecting the good HDL cholesterol in your body. It is easier to regulate high blood pressure once the cholesterol is under control. Cook your meals in monounsaturated oil (also known as MUFA) instead of saturated oils. This simple change will make you and your family healthier.

Olive oil also helps in controlling diabetes, lowering triglycerides and reducing blood clots. Some high blood pressure or hypertensive patients found that eating a low fat diet while using olive oil reduced their need for blood pressure medications by half. As little as 40 grams of olive oil a day or 4 tbsp. was all it took.

Polyphenols

The polyphenols present in olive oil act as antioxidants. They protect the body against free radicals and are largely responsible for olive oil's anti-hypertensive qualities. 10 grams of extra virgin olive oil contains as much as 5 mg of polyphenols. Some other oils don't even contain any polyphenols. Both polyphenols and monounsaturated fat keep LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized and building up plaque deposits in the arteries. This decreases the risk of heart disease substantially.

Mediterranean Diet

If you or someone in your family suffers from high blood pressure, you must consider the Mediterranean Diet. Olive oil forms the basis of this diet. Toss up a salad and splash some olive oil on it. Cook vegetables, fish, pasta and rice with this healthy oil. The idea is not to limit total fat consumption, but to be careful about what kinds of fat you eat. In the Mediterranean Diet, the stress is on fats that are healthy, such as monounsaturated fat found in olive oil. This diet is healthy for the heart and it decreases weight, blood pressure, insulin levels, total cholesterol and triglycerides.

In the Mediterranean Diet you consume: olive oil (both as a seasoning and cooking medium), lots of fruits and vegetables, very little red meat, fish on a regular basis and handfuls of nuts.