Olive oil is most commonly used for heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. In foods, olive oil is used as a cooking and salad oil. Olive oil is classified, in part, according to acid content, measured as free oleic acid.
Olive oil has been part of human diets and has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times. Spain is at the forefront of the global ranking of countries producing olive oil. Olive oil contains a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). Phenolic content in olive oil depends on the variety of olive fruit, region where it is grown, climate, agricultural techniques used, maturity of the olive fruit at harvest, and olive oil extraction, processing, storage methods, and time since harvest.
People use olive oil in cooking, cosmetics, medicine, soaps, and as a fuel for traditional lamps. Olive oil originally came from the Mediterranean, but today, it is popular around the world. In the diet, people preserve olives in olive oil or salted water.
For constipation: 30 mL of olive oil.
For high blood pressure: 30-40 grams per day of extra-virgin olive oil as part of the diet.
For high cholesterol: 23 grams of olive oil per day (about 2 tablespoons) providing 17.5 grams of mono unsaturated fatty acids in place of saturated fats in the diet.
