Olive oil can reverse heart disease symptoms

EATING a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil could help reverse symptoms which can lead to heart disease.

Whilst the Mediterranean diet has long since been praised for it’s healthy properties and benefits, a new study found people who followed a diet of fruit, vegetables, fish and wholegrains, with either added olive oil or nuts, reduced their obesity and blood glucose levels which helps reduce heart disease.

Following a diet classed as ‘low fat’ did not have the same effect.

The Spanish researchers studied nearly 5,800 men and women aged 55 to 80 who were at risk of heart disease for nearly five years with participants divided into three groups. One group ate a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil, the second ate a Mediterranean diet with added nuts and a third group ate a low-fat diet. The researchers found both groups who followed the Mediterranean diets decreased their obesity and blood sugar levels. Sixty-four per cent of participants had metabolic syndrome at the start of the study with more than a quarter no longer showing symptoms of the condition after following the Mediterranean diet.