10 Surprising Uses for Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil sits in the kitchens of millions of people around the world who choose it for its pleasant flavor and utility. However, do you know all the benefits and uses of extra virgin olive oil? Olive oil isn’t just delicious, but it’s beneficial for your health, beauty, and home.
In this article, we want you to know how handy a little olive oil can be by sharing 10 of its most surprising uses.
Olive Oil Supports Weight Loss
Olive oil is a healthy type of fat that can help you lose weight.
One of the most important uses of extra virgin olive oil is that it helps boost your metabolism to burn fat while helping you feel full, according to this article published in the Spanish Journal of Public Health.
In the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is used as a dressing for salads, cooked vegetables, sauces, and even served with bread instead of butter.
Pain relief
One study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that regular consumption of olive oil can reduce inflammation associated with certain chronic disorders.
Prevent cognitive impairment
Prevent diabetes
An article published in Diabetes Care suggests that adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet could also help delay or prevent the onset of diabetes.
Olive oil helps balance your body’s insulin levels, therefore reducing your risk of suffering from high blood sugar levels.
Strengthen your immune system
A study from the University of Cantabria found that the antioxidants in extra virgin olive oil strengthen your immune system. What’s more, this amount of antioxidants is only found in olive oil.
Olive oil can soothe diaper rash
Olive oil is a natural, gentle, and safe ingredient that can soothe the symptoms of diaper rash. This ingredient relieves irritation and improves the health of the skin around the affected area.
It’s a Natural Moisturizer
Olive oil is one of the amazing moisturizers that help preserve your skin’s elasticity, prevent premature aging, and protect it from sun damage.
- To use it, just apply a few drops of olive oil on your skin. If you’d like, you can also combine it with your favorite essential oil.
Quit smoking
Olive oil can be a good tool for anyone who wants to quit smoking.
Consuming five drops of extra virgin olive oil every morning before breakfast helps combat the effects of nicotine in the body and reduces anxiety.
It Tames Frizzy Hair
Curly hair can be quite a challenge when it comes to styling and smoothing it.
However, instead of using chemical products and gels to tame frizz and flyaways, try using some olive oil.
- Pour a few drops into your hand and apply it to your hair to benefit from the beauty uses of extra virgin olive oil.
This product can also be used as a treatment for dry hair and scalp. This is because it hydrates, seals split ends, fights dandruff, and gives hair shine.
Help stop snoring
Eating olive oil can help reduce that annoying sleep habit that drives your partner crazy.
Try gargling extra virgin olive oil mixed with water every evening before you go to bed. This natural ingredient will lubricate your throat muscles and prevent snoring.
In conclusion
As you can see, olive oil has numerous benefits for your mind and body. Extra-virgin olive oil is the most beneficial because it is the most pure version.
Olive oil is high in calories, however, so don’t go overboard. Make sure you use it in moderation, especially if you are overweight.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Estruch R. et Al. (2006). “Effects of a Mediterranean-style diet on cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized trial”, Ann Intern Med. 2006 Jul 4;145(1):1-11.
- Abuznait AH, Qosa H, Busnena BA, El Sayed KA, Kaddoumi A. (2013). “Olive-oil-derived oleocanthal enhances β-amyloid clearance as a potential neuroprotective mechanism against Alzheimer’s disease: in vitro and in vivo studies”, ACS Chem Neurosci. 2013 Jun 19;4(6):973-82.
- Mendez MA, et al. (2006). “Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced 3-year incidence of obesity”, J Nutr. 2006 Nov;136(11):2934-8.
- María-Isabel Covas. (2000). “Olive oil and the cardiovascular system”, Pharmacological Research, Volume 55, Issue 3, March 2007, Pages 175-186
- Zamora Zamora, F., Martínez Galiano, J. M., Gaforio Martínez, J. J., & Delgado Rodríguez, M. (2018). Aceite de oliva y peso corporal. Revisión sistemática y metaanálisis de ensayos controlados aleatorizados. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 92. http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1135-57272018000100508
- Rosillo, M. A., Sánchez-Hidalgo, M., Sánchez-Fidalgo, S., Aparicio-Soto, M., Villegas, I., & Alarcón-de-la-Lastra, C. (2016). Dietary extra-virgin olive oil prevents inflammatory response and cartilage matrix degradation in murine collagen-induced arthritis. European journal of nutrition, 55(1), 315-325. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-015-0850-0
- Abuznait, A. H., Qosa, H., Busnena, B. A., El Sayed, K. A., & Kaddoumi, A. (2013). Olive-oil-derived oleocanthal enhances β-amyloid clearance as a potential neuroprotective mechanism against Alzheimer’s disease: in vitro and in vivo studies. ACS chemical neuroscience, 4(6), 973-982. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cn400024q?journalCode=acncdm
- Díaz-López, A., Babio, N., Martínez-González, M. A., Corella, D., Amor, A. J., Fitó, M., … & Lapetra, J. (2015). Mediterranean diet, retinopathy, nephropathy, and microvascular diabetes complications: a post hoc analysis of a randomized trial. Diabetes care, 38(11), 2134-2141. https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/38/11/2134
- Higuera Campo, J. (2017). Los compuestos fenólicos en el aceite de oliva/hoja de olivo: propiedades beneficiosas. https://repositorio.unican.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10902/11758/Higuera%20Campo%20Javier.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y