16 Key Pros and Cons of Olive Oil You Might Need to Know

Olive oil has become a very common cooking essential with many prefixes “Virgin” or “Extra Virgin” “Extra Light” and is known to be a very healthy option when it comes to cooking oil. Olive oil (MUFA) is actually monounsaturated fatty acid which is known for lowering total cholesterol and LDL, the bad cholesterol.

As this oil doesn’t oxidize easily, it’s widely preferred for cooking and frying but you might need to gain a little knowledge, pros and cons of olive oil with reference to its types and usage.

Types of Olive Oils Available in Supermarkets

There are several choices we can opt for when it comes to olive oil such as “Virgin”, “Extra Virgin” and “Refined”, “Cold Pressed”, “Extra Light”. Now the question comes that’s clearly obvious, which one is indeed healthy and beneficial for us? So let’s start with pros and cons of olive oil. In the supermarkets every bottle of olive oil is marked with its grade, and we assume higher the grade, higher the benefits of the oil. Some have high percent or low percentage of free acidity, some are unaltered in their initial glyceridic structure, some have rich or lighter flavor. 

Pros of Olive Oil

#1. It works against your heart diseases controlling bad cholesterol LDL and increasing good cholesterol HDL in your blood.

#2. The antioxidant properties present in olive oil is great for skin health. It prevents skin ageing and acne breakout.

#3. Polyphenols present in this oil have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties which helps improving heart health.

#4. Polyphenols are also great in controlling both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

#5. Olive oil is low in saturated fats which improves blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity.

#6. It helps reducing risks of common types of cancers that includes skin, lungs, breast, colon and ovarian cancers.

#7. Another most alarming pros of olive oil, Oleocanthal, a substance present in olive oil inhibits toxic proteins that damage brain cells causing Alzheimer’s disease, proved according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Pharmacology and Toxicology.

#8. Olive oil is great for bone health. According to a research, people with high levels of olive oil in their diet are less likely to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. It also helps in improving mineralization and calcification of bones.

Cons of Olive Oil

#1. If health is your concern this one of the lighter note cons of olive oil might not grab your attention. Extra Virgin, Cold Pressed, Extra Light and some more varieties of olive oil can be really very expensive. Its not that cheap to purchase a decent quality of EVOO, after all.

#2. Olive oil is super loaded in calories, containing 120 calories per 1 tablespoon serving. So if anyone who’s checking calories in their diet must stay alert about the usage.

#3. Polyphenols that is one of the pros of olive of can actually degrade easily by heat. The compounds such as hydroxytyrosol has shown 50% loss when heated in a container for 5 minutes at a temperature of 188 degree Celsius.

#4. Low smoking point of olive oil makes it emit toxic smoke that contains compound harmful for human health which is another unexpecting cons of olive oil.

#5. Olive oil doesn’t work wonders on dry skin because oleic acid present in it dampens skins natural moisturizing abilities.

#6. As the oil is highly fatty, it can make your stomach to work a little harder to digest it. The high fat content in olive oilcan trigger gastrointestinal and digestive disorders such as diarrhea, high flatulence.

#7. Consuming to much of olive oil can cause blockage in gallbladder leading to painful gallstones. When our body holds excess fat, the stored bile produced by liver inside the gallbladder starts secreting and emulsifying the fats resulting to blockage and stones.

#8. All plant oils that have high fat content especially olive oil are very good food source for acne causing bacteria and yeasts to grow and survive. Hence olive oil is not ideal choice for acne prone skin.

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