Benefits of Olive Oil For Seniors

Olive oil has become popular as one of the healthiest cooking oils today. Here are some benefits of olive oil for seniors in cooking and more.

We all are aware of the fact that Olive oil is full of antioxidants and essential nutrients. Olive Oil is beneficial for the body in various ways. According to many dieticians and experts, it is recommended to use olive Oil as people age to get rid of various health problems.

Olive Oil plays an important role for seniors; it takes aged people towards healthy living. Whether you want to use olive oil for cooking or use it for massaging your skin, it offers many benefits to seniors.

In this guide, we will provide the following details:

Types of Olive Oils
Health benefits of Olive Oil for seniors
How to use Olive Oil?

Types of Olive Oils

There are different types of olive oils in the market; their harvesting and maturity play a role in their health benefits and taste. Here are five different types of Olive oils:

# Extra Virgin Olive Oil

One of the best Olive oils present in the market is Extra Virgin Olive oil. This type of olive oil is superior in quality and has very good taste. Extra Virgin Oil is extracted from virgin Oil without using any chemical process. It provides various benefits for hair and skin. Add Extra virgin olive oil to your diet to avoid high cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of diabetes.

# Virgin Olive Oil

You must be wondering what is the difference between Extra Virgin and Virgin Olive oil. There is not much difference between the two. Virgin Olive oil is a bit lower in quality as compared to Extra Virgin Olive oil, a little bit of chemical processing is involved in its production.

But it also offers excellent health benefits to seniors, like reduced inflammation, reduced risk of cancer, and boosted heart health as it is rich in monounsaturated fats.

# Refined Olive Oil

Pure olive oil is Refined olive Oil that goes through a refining process. It helps reduce the risk of strokes and supports better cardiovascular health.

# Extra Light Olive Oil

While you need a perfect olive oil for baking, go for Extra light olive oil. This type of olive oil is lighter in taste but has the same amount of calories as refined olive oil. It contains all heart-friendly nutrients promoting heart health and reducing high blood pressure.

# Cold Pressed Olive Oil

This type of olive oil is pressed with the help of heat; it offers great health benefits from boosting anti-inflammatory response to supporting blood circulation.

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Benefits of Olive Oils for Seniors

Experts say using Extra Virgin Olive oil for cooking is best.

Here are 11 proven benefits of Olive Oil for seniors.

# Rich in Monounsaturated Fats

Extra Virgin Olive oil contains 14% saturated fats and 11% polyunsaturated fats, along with omega-three fatty acids. Olive Oil is rich in monosaturated fats; it is a fatty acid known as Oleic acid.

Monounsaturated fats make up 75% of the total oil content of Olive Oil. According to studies, oleic acid is responsible for reducing inflammation and preventing the chances of cancer, especially breast cancer. For women, it is advisable to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

As monounsaturated fats are resistant to heat, Olive oil can be used for cooking. In addition, due to this property of Olive Oil, it is best for seniors to control high blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure.

# High Amount of Antioxidants

Olive Oil contains many powerful antioxidants, which are important to fight against free radical damage. Free radical damage can occur due to aging or any diseases; therefore, to protect seniors’ health, olive oil is a perfect substitute for a healthy lifestyle.

Olive Oil is loaded with antioxidants that further treat inflammation and boost heart health. Antioxidants are responsible for preventing poor cholesterol levels.

# Anti-Inflammatory

When people reach their late 50’s, they suffer from high inflammation, and it is the leading cause of many health ailments like diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and many more. Olive Oil is proven to be beneficial in reducing inflammation, thus providing endless health benefits.

The anti-inflammatory property is there only because it has powerful antioxidants. Usually, when someone has inflammation issues or pain, they prefer taking medicines like Ibuprofen, so avoid taking medicines; using olive Oil is best due to its anti-inflammatory effects.

Olive Oil works similarly to anti-inflammatory drugs. The oleic acid present in Olive Oil is responsible for reducing inflammation.

# Reduce the Risk of Strokes

A stroke occurs when the brain suffers from inadequate blood flow in the brain. Usually, strokes happen when there is blood clotting or bleeding. In many countries, strokes have become the reason for many deaths. Experts say using olive for seniors can reduce the chances of stroke by up to 40%.

# Prevent Heart Diseases

All around the world, many older adults die because of heart attack or other heart diseases. This is because people do not take care of their heart health.

According to recent studies, countries using more olive Oil do not face deaths caused due to heart diseases. While olive oil is not only the reason, yes, olive oil plays an important role in preventing heart diseases.

Many bioactive compounds present in Olive Oil regulate cardiovascular activities, like controlling cholesterol levels, lower down high blood pressure, and many more.

For seniors, it is recommended to use Extra Virgin Olive oil to reduce the risk of heart problems. Additionally, Olive oil strengthens blood vessels linings.

# Reduces The Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Olive Oil contains phenolic compounds, which help in reducing the risk of diabetes and boost glucose metabolism that is further effective in insulin sensitivity. Olive Oil tends to impact high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance positively. For older adults, it is advisable to use extra virgin olive oil with a low-fat diet to reduce or reverse Type 2 diabetes.

# Support Bone health

Olive Oil is rich in polyphenols that help in improving bone health. When people age, it is common to see how their bones are affected and suffer from bone pain or bone loss. So intake of olive oil will help in bone resorption and formation of bones.

People using olive Oil tend to experience fewer fractures and reduce the risk of arthritis. Especially older people experience poor mobility due to bad joint health, so in that case, olive oil is the best solution to promote bone health and have better mobility.

When there is a problem of arthritis, it is a natural inflammation in bones, and when the elderly use olive oil in their food, it reduces bone inflammation and the risk of arthritis.

# Aid in Weight Loss

Some people think that olive oil is for weight gain as it contains monounsaturated fats. But in reality, it is the opposite of this; Olive Oil is used for people who are obese as it has weight loss properties. Many dieticians or nutritionists suggest having olive Oil for salad dressings or cooking because it shows terrific weight loss results. For obese people, this is a perfect option for cooking.

# Protects Against Cancer

As we all know, cancer is a disease that could lead to death if not cured at an initial stage. Because of antioxidants present in Olive Oil, it reduces oxidative damage that happens due to free radical damage and, as a result, reduces the risk of cancers.

# Antibacterial Properties

Olive Oil contains all essential nutrients that have the ability to fight bacteria in the body. Regular intake of olive oil in food helps older people to eliminate the chances of stomach ulcers or any other cancer-inducing bacteria. Having olive oil daily can eliminate all harmful bacteria from the body.

# Reduced Risk of Alzheimer’s

Many old people have Alzheimer’s; it is a common neurodegenerative condition of the brain when there are more beta-amyloid plaques in the brain cells. Intake of olive oil can remove the plaques and tend to improve brain health naturally. So to avoid the risk of such disease, it is never a bad idea to use olive oil for cooking, especially for elders.

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How to use Olive Oil?

With so many benefits of Olive Oil, one must know how to use it properly. Here we are providing some tips on using olive Oil for seniors on a daily routine.

You can always use olive Oil to gauge its benefits whenever you are cooking or baking anything for elders.
Olive Oil can be used for application on hair and skin for better skin and hair health.
You can anytime sprinkle olive Oil over salads as dressing.
Olive Oil also works great when used as a hair pack or face pack.

There are multiple uses of olive oil. Use it as per your requirement to enjoy its health benefits.

You might also like to read Choosing the Right Cooking Oils for Seniors

Final Verdict

After reading the above content, you must know the importance of olive oil for the health of older adults since olive Oil is the healthiest Oil used for multiple purposes. It is beneficial for reducing various health ailments and is also widely used for treating skin problems.

We hope this article has been able to give you all the information that you need about olive oil so that you can make the healthier choice and switch to olive oil for cooking today. If you have comments, queries, or suggestions to add to what we have written, we welcome them in the comments section below.

Do share this article on your social media handles and within your groups so that others may also benefit from this information.