A Mediterranean diet can have many health benefits. It lowers the risk of developing peripheral arterial diseases , reduces sleep apnea, and even increases life expectancy
Sapienza University in Rome has revealed that Extra Virgin Olive Oil has an inverse relationship with cholesterol and blood sugar.
Many countries have adopted the Mediterranean diet as a preferred eating method, such as Spain, Italy, and Morocco. It is based primarily on whole grains and vegetables, as well as fruits, and low-fat milk.
Extra Virgin Oil has been proven to prevent heart disease.
Researchers evaluated oil's health by adding 10g Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a standard Mediterranean meal. This was done in 25 healthy subjects.
Randomly, participants were given the choice to eat the meal with extra Virgin Olive Oil or without.
Blood tests were performed two hours prior to and after the meal. On average, blood sugar levels rose by 6.2% for the extra virgin oil meal (40.7m/dl) and the meal without oil (53.6m/dl).
The LDL cholesterol (or "bad") levels were lower after meals prepared with extra-virgin oil than when meals were made with corn oil.
Although the study is small, the researchers pointed out that it was the first to show a link between lower cholesterol and blood sugar in Mediterranean diets using Extra Virgin Olive Oil.