NEW STUDY: Olive Oil may help prevent hardening of arteries

For a while we’ve known that the Mediterranean Diet is a “Healthy Heart” Diet,  but no one was exactly sure why. Here are a some excerpts from an article about a new study which may explain how Extra Virgin Olive Oils can help prevent heart disease.

For the first time, researchers find that a compound in some red wines and olive oils can interfere with gut microbes in ways that could potentially help to prevent heart disease in humans.

This new study, which was done in mice, also might reveal why the Mediterranean diet, which usually includes olive oil and red wine, is healthy for the heart, the scientists said.

The researchers targeted gut microbes with a compound called DMB,— which naturally occurs in some cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils, red wines, balsamic vinegars and grape seed oils. The scientists found that the DMB treatment suppressed atherosclerosis, which is a hardening of the arteries, from developing in the mice without resulting in toxic side effects. (the full article explains all the biochemistry involved)

“This new approach shows that one can target microbes to inhibit atherosclerosis,” said study senior author Dr. Stanley Hazen, section head of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.

The leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women is heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease kills about 610,000 people in the United States annually, accounting for one in every four deaths. Heart disease is often linked with atherosclerosis.

“Our work opens the doors to therapies for many chronic diseases where gut microbe participation is implicated,” Hazen told Live Science.

Adding Galilee Green Extra Virgin Olive Oil to your diet is a delicious way to live a healthier lifestyle. Get yours today! — and you’ll be supporting Israel too!

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