Could Extra Virgin Olive Oil Help Fight Covid? We Study The Evidence

CONTENTS

1/ The Timeless Health Benefits Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2/ The Prevalence of Chronic Diseases
3/ Risk Factors For Chronic Diseases
4/ The Role Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil In Combating Chronic Illnesses
5/ The Additional Challenge Of Covid-19
6/ What We Now Know About Covid-19
7/ The Endothelium, Blood Vessels And Endothelial Cells
8/ What Causes Endothelial Cell Dysfunction
9/ How The Immune System Fights Back
10/ Polyphenols In Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil
11/ Olive Oil And Endothelial Function
12/ What Is Long Covid
13/ The Crucial Importance Of Diet
14/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil And The Mediterranean Diet For Wellness

1/ Introduction

Extra Virgin Olive oil is well known for its many health benefits, and there is a wealth of evidence to show this most versatile of foods can help reduce chronic illnesses like heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

For centuries, we’ve known that high quality extra virgin olive oil is good for your health and wellbeing and  has been lauded across many cultures.

The difference now is – following extensive scientific research, we now know exactly what is in high-quality olive oils that are so good for you – it’s antioxidant polyphenols.

Morocco Gold is an exceptionally high-quality extra virgin olive oil from a unique new source, a raised valley in the foothills of the Atlas mountains that creates its own micro-climate, geology and soil nutrients, providing the perfect conditions for the Picholine Marocaine, the only type of olive used in Morocco Gold.

Using only traditional, sustainable growing and harvesting methods, oil from this olive is recognized for its longevity. What makes it so special, however, is it is teeming with health-enhancing polyphenols, the antioxidants that provide protection against a wide range of chronic diseases. This makes Morocco Gold particularly attractive to health-conscious food lovers – worldwide.

There is now extensive research that shows the positive impact of polyphenols in high-quality extra virgin olive oil on a range of chronic illnesses. New research into COVID-19 is also now demonstrating that these same chronic conditions affect a vital part of our cardiovascular system known as the endothelium. This makes sufferers of chronic conditions much more susceptible to COVID-19 and the effects of long COVID.

Research into diet has now also demonstrated that followers of a Mediterranean diet, with extra virgin olive oil as a key constituent can have a marked positive effect on Covid symptoms.

Morocco Gold is on a mission to:

• Re-establish extra virgin olive oil as a healthy diet/lifestyle choice
• Show health and wellness-conscious people on how this incredibly simple diet/lifestyle choice – inclusion of a high-quality extra virgin olive oil – can have a profound impact on their health and wellbeing
• Show how extra virgin olive fits into a wider wellness lifestyle

2/ The Prevalence Of Chronic Illnesses

In 2016, the Milken Institute reported that the total cost for direct healthcare for chronic illnesses in the USA totalled $1.1trillion, the equivalent of 5.8% of the USA’s GDP.

(The Milken Institute is an independent economic think tank based in Santa Monica, California. It publishes research and hosts conferences that apply market-based principles and financial innovations to social issues in the US and internationally).

The most expensive in terms of direct health care costs are:

• Cardiovascular diseases                               $294.3Bn
• Diabetes                                                          $189.6Bn
• Alzheimer’s                                                     $185.9Bn
• Osteoarthritis                                                 $115.5Bn

The most common chronic health conditions were:

• Dyslipidemia (cholesterol imbalance) affecting 94.7m people
• Hypertension, a main contributor to heart disease and stroke affecting 78.6m people
• Osteoarthritis, affecting 55.7m people
• Type-2 diabetes, affecting 26.7m people
• Coronary heart disease and heart failure, 23.3m people

When the total indirect cost of lost economic productivity are included, the total cost of chronic disease rises to a staggering $3.7trillio, the equivalent of 19.6% of USA GDP.

The report went on to project the cost of these chronic illnesses is set to rise and that by 2030 an estimated 83.4m people will be suffering from 3 or more chronic illnesses compared with 30.8m in 2015.

3/ Risk Factors For Chronic Diseases

The report also highlighted obesity and being overweight as the single greatest risk factor contributing to the burden of chronic diseases. In 2016, being overweight and obesity accounted for 47.1% of the total cost of chronic illnesses in the US, $480.7Bn of direct costs and $1.24 Trillion in indirect costs related to lost productivity.

The following illustrates the rate of increase in obesity in the US.

4/ The Role Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil In Combating Chronic Illnesses

Extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil and canola oil are high in monounsaturated fat (the healthy-for-you kind of fat). So what would put extra virgin olive oil above the others if their fat make-up so similar? It’s not just about the kind of fat molecules that they are made up of. Extra virgin olive oil has some extra magic. The biggest thing that makes extra virgin olive oil so healthy is its unique disease-fighting component.

Thanks to the recent spotlight on the Mediterranean Diet, extensive research has been done on the phytonutrient composition of olive oil. What has been discovered is an extensive list of phytonutrients; one of the most praised is its polyphenols. The amount of polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil is truly amazing!

What Are Polyphenols?

Polyphenols are a group of over 500 phytochemicals, which are naturally occurring micronutrients in plants. These compounds give a plant its colour and can help to protect it from various dangers. When you eat plants with polyphenols, you reap the health benefits as well.

Polyphenols In Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Polyphenols are a key component in extra virgin olive oil and are considered to be one of the best health enhancing benefits within the oil. Many of the fruits and vegetables we consume contain large numbers of compounds critical for life. One such type of compound is known as antioxidants. Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants.

So how do antioxidants fit into the grand scheme of our bodies and our health? Antioxidants are chemicals known to be ‘molecular scavengers’ that help neutralize oxygen free radicals, thus preventing oxidative stress from occurring. There are hundreds of known antioxidants, some of which we consume in our daily diets:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Selenium
• Manganese
• Carotenoids
• And….POLYPHENOLS?

It’s also thought that polyphenols contribute to keep the body being in an anti-inflammatory state. This is also associated with a lower risk of several chronic diseases. 

5/ The Additional Challenge Of Covid 19

As if combatting chronic illnesses were not challenging enough, the financial impact of the covid-19 pandemic has been huge. Official figures show that, globally, the covid-19 pandemic has so far claimed 5.8 million lives. But this is highly likely to be an underestimate, and some models indicate that the true excess death toll could be between 12 and 22 million. 

Other costs of covid-19 include disruption to millions of children’s education, lost earnings, unemployment, and lost economic output. The public finance cost of covid-19 has also been enormous.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread around the globe and we learn more about this disease, what is becoming clearer is that elderly people and those with pre-existing chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, respiratory conditions and diabetes appear to be at a higher risk of developing complications and are at high risk, both of the disease itself, plus the effects of long-Covid.

6/ What We Now Know About Covid-19

All the major chronic medical condition that are simultaneously present in patients increase the risk for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19. This includes old age, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, respiratory disease, compromised immune system, coronary artery disease or heart failure. All of these chronic conditions are associated with a dysfunctional endothelium.

The endothelium is a monolayer of cells constituting the inner lining of arteries, veins, and capillaries throughout the circulatory system. Under normal conditions, it forms a semi-permeable barrier that prevents leaking of excessive plasma fluid and regulates selective delivery of nutrients and hormones to underlying tissues.

Once considered a mere physical barrier between circulating blood components and underlying tissues, the endothelium is now recognized as an important modulator of vascular function. With the growing understanding of endothelial mediators and their role, it has become increasingly clear that endothelial abnormalities may represent an early sign not only of hemodynamic diseases, but also of metabolic disturbances.

Source: Endothelial Dysfunction in Covid-19 Infection

7/ The Endothelium, Blood Vessels, and Endothelial Cells

Almost all tissues depend on a blood supply, and the blood supply depends on endothelial cells which form the linings of the blood vessels. They control the flow of substances and fluid into and out of a tissue. An impaired function can lead to serious health issues throughout the body. Endothelial cells line blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, they are found exclusively in vascularized tissue.

Endothelial cells have a remarkable capacity to adjust their number and arrangement to suit local requirements. They create an adaptable life-support system, extending by cell migration into almost every region of the body.

Endothelial cells are nearly ubiquitous throughout the body. If it were not for endothelial cells extending and remodelling the network of blood vessels, tissue growth and repair would be impossible.

8/ What Causes Endothelial Cell Dysfunction

The following are the main factors that impact endothelial cell dysfunction. Of all the risk factors, only one is non-modifiable, that is the natural progression towards old age. All other risk factors are modifiable.

Aging

Aging is one of the main risk factors for dysfunction of both endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Endothelial cell injury is normally mitigated by endogenous reparative processes mediated by bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). Overtime, the endothelium ability to regenerate itself tends to decrease, partly as a consequence of reduced EPC availability and/or mobilization.

Even in the absence of specific risk factors, senescence (deterioration with age) is accompanied by several structural and functional changes occurring throughout the entire vascular system and contributing to alter endothelial barrier integrity. Moreover, the aging process may damage the balance between vasodilator and vasoconstrictor substances produced by the endothelium.

Oxidative Stress

Oxidation is a natural process our cells use to create energy from the oxygen we inhale. As energy is being produced in our cells, some oxygen molecules, known as oxygen free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced as a by-product of these processes. An excess of ROS can damage your cells and DNA when in high concentration.

Continuous damage by ROS, most often termed oxidative stress, can lead to various conditions including:

• Various forms of cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Dementia
• Wrinkles associated with age

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in a limited amount in endothelial cells under normal physiological conditions. The balance between oxidant and antioxidant processes regulates the amount of ROS generated by endothelial cells.

Oxidative stress may be generated by several pathological conditions, such as; Dyslipidemia, Smoking, Hypertension, Diabetes and Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). All these factors are able to produce ROS. Increased ROS generation decreases the ability of free radical scavengers and increases the susceptibility to free radical damage to the endothelium.

Dyslipidemia : Cholesterol Imbalance

High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL – or ‘bad’ cholesterol) or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL – or ‘good’ cholesterol). Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) can induce endothelial dysfunction by several mechanisms including: binding to scavenger receptors such as receptor-A1, -A2, and lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor (SR-A1, SR-A2, and LOX-1); upregulating the expression of its own receptor LOX-1 on endothelial cells and activating endothelial cells; promoting the growth and migration of smooth muscle cells, monocytes/macrophages and fibroblasts; and leading to oxidative stress through the generation of excessive ROS amounts.

Smoking

Exposure to cigarette smoke increases the rate of cardiovascular diseases by inducing morphological alterations and functional exchanges in endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Smoking causes a progressive downregulation of the endothelial functions, leading to adhesion of platelets and leukocytes and promoting thrombosis.

Hypertension

Studies have shown that in patients with essential hypertension, the decreased bioavailability in endothelial cells results from increased oxidative stress and subsequent activation of signalling pathways related to inflammation and contraction in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)

Advanced glycation end products are modifications of proteins or lipids that become nonenzymatically glycated and oxidized after contact with aldose sugars. AGEs are compounds formed in the body fat and protein combine with sugar. When they accumulate in high levels they unleash the risk of many diseases including diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure and Alzheimers. Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) – Healthline

Chronic exposure to high AGE-rich diets can lead to and/or accelerate endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease over time.

Endothelial dysfunction represents an early, pivotal, and common denominator of vascular and metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes, both of which are major risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, a high-AGE meal induces a more pronounced acute impairment of vascular function than does an otherwise identical low-AGE meal.

Obesity

The obesity condition is associated with worsening of the microvascular endothelial function as shown by flow-mediated dilation in the brachial arteries of obese individuals. Obese individuals are highly susceptible to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 development through several mechanisms including chronic inflammation, endothelium imbalance, dysregulated immune response, metabolic dysfunction, and dysfunctional mesenchymal stem cells/adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell.

9/ How The Immune System Fights Back

Emerging scientific knowledge research suggests that Covid-19 attacks the body by causing inflammation and oxidative stress in the endothelial cells.

Cytokines are small proteins that are crucial in controlling the growth and activity of other immune system cells and blood cells. When released, they signal the immune system to do its job. Cytokines affect the growth of all blood cells and other cells that help the body’s immune and inflammation responses.

Although cytokines are an important component of our immune system, too many of these can lead to what is known as a ‘cytokine storm’.  This is essentially an overreaction of our immune system which can have a seriously detrimental impact on COVID-19 sufferers and, in some cases, lead to fatality. This is because cytokine storms reduce the amount of oxygen circulating in our blood, causing fluid build-up in the lungs and lead to life-threatening breathing difficulties.

10/ Polyphenols In Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The high polyphenol content of Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is dependent on three factors. First is the variety of the olive, secondly the climate and terroire of the growing region and thirdly the actual time in the growing season that the crop is harvested.

Morocco Gold is pressed from the Picholine Marocaine, the only type of olive to go into Morocco Gold. Oil from this variety is renowned for it’s high polyphenol count, oxidative stability and longevity.

Our olives are grown in a valley that is about 2,000 feet above sea level. This helps to create the additional climatic challenges that encourage polyphenol uptake within the olive tree. It is also an area with naturally occurring high phenols in the soil itself.

In soils, phenols are released over extended period of time from decomposing plant materials. This causes complex organic compounds to be slowly oxidized or to break down into simpler forms of sugars,  amino sugars, aliphatic and phenolic organic acids. These are further transformed into microbial biomass or are reorganized, and further oxidized, into humic assemblages (fulvic and humic acids), which bind to clay minerals.

There has been a long debate about the ability of plants to uptake humic substances through their root systems and to metabolize them. There is now a consensus about how humus plays a hormonal role rather than simply a nutritional role in plant physiology. Olive trees grown in ‘challenging’ conditions encourage the uptake of naturally occurring phenols in the soil. This in turn aids the circulatory system within the olive tree, with the phenols eventually finding their way to the olive fruit itself.

Thirdly, our olives are picked when the fruit is young and green. As the olives age on the tree, the colour of the olive changes to red and then black, the size of the olive increases thus producing more oil, but the polyphenol level decreases. There is a great deal of expertise within the farming community where we source our oil to ensure that the harvest is collected at the optimum time to maximise the polyphenol level.

The Polyphenols Present In Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil

We are delighted to say that this year’s harvest continues to provide a low acidity level of 0.28% together with the continuing highest level of polyphenols seen in our extra virgin olive oil. To find out more about these the polyphenols in our extra virgin olive oil and their related health benefits – follow the links below.

The following illustrates the range of chronic conditions where research into these polyphenols oil has demonstrated positive effects.

In fact the European Food Safety Authority has now approved health claims for extra virgin olive oils with polyphenol content of more than 250mg / kg. Morocco Gold contains polyphenols well above this level.

11/ Olive Oil and Endothelial Function

Olive oil is to the Mediterranean diet what soybean is to the Japanese diet. It is omnipresent in meals and consumed in high amounts. The oil contains several bioactive compounds including oleic acid, oleanolic acid, oleuropein, oleocanthal, taxifolin, hydroxytyrosol, homovanillyl alcohol, caffeic and ferulic acid.

Several in vivo studies involving small and large numbers of participants have investigated the health benefits of olive oil, and several of these studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of consuming olive oil.

In a study at Mayo Clinic, designed to investigate the long-term effect of olive oil and/or green tea supplementation on endothelial function, participants (n = 82 started and n = 52 completed the study) with early atherosclerosis and presence of endothelial dysfunction (EndoPAT score < 2.0) were randomized to receive 30 mL of polyphenol-rich olive oil alone or in association with green tea EGCG for 4 months.

To determine the effect of olive oil or olive oil and EGCG on endothelial function, Endo-PAT and inflammatory biomarkers including hsCRP, IL-6, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1, and oxidative stress biomarkers including oxLDL and 8-isoprostane, were measured in the 52 patients who completed this study. The results showed that the consumption of olive oil alone significantly improved endothelial function in patients with low to intermediate risk of atherosclerosis, with no additional beneficial effects associated with EGCG.

Several olive oil constituents have potent anti-inflammatory activities and can restrict the progression of various inflammation-linked diseases ranging from endothelial dysfunction to arthritis, cancer, and the severity of COVID-19.

12/ What Is Long COVID?

While most people recover quickly from coronavirus, some people may have ongoing symptoms. These can last for a few weeks or longer. This has been referred to as long COVID. These symptoms are not limited to people who were seriously unwell or hospitalised with coronavirus.

Most people’s symptoms of coronavirus get better within 4 weeks. But for some people, symptoms can last longer, or new ones can develop. Symptoms can also change over time and can affect anywhere in the body.

Healthcare professionals may refer to long COVID as: ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (4 to 12 weeks); post-COVID-19 syndrome (over 12 weeks)

As this is a new condition, understanding is developing all the time. Experts are learning more about how long symptoms will last, and it will vary from person to person. There can be different symptoms which often overlap. It can’t be said exactly how long coronavirus symptoms will last. The reassuring evidence is that symptoms improve over time in most cases.

Signs And Symptoms Of Long COVID

Signs and symptoms after coronavirus can be different from person to person. The most common ones include:

• cough
• fatigue
• breathlessness
• muscle and joint pain
• sleep problems
• loss of smell or taste
• low mood
• brain fog, loss of concentration or memory issues (cognitive impairment)
• anxiety

Source: NHSinform.scot

Scientists at the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, have been recruiting individuals who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 to the COVID-19 cohort of the NIHR BioResource. They want to better understand the relationship between the immune response and COVID-19 symptoms. The study also provides clues to the biology underlying cases of long COVID. In long COVID patients report experiencing symptoms of the disease, including fatigue, for several months after infection, even when they no longer test positive for SARS-CoV-2.

The team found that profound alterations in many immune cell types often persisted for weeks or even months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. These problems resolved themselves very differently depending on the type of immune cell. Some recover while some remain markedly abnormal, or show only limited recovery, even after systemic inflammation has resolved and patients have been discharged from hospital.

Dr Laura Bergamaschi, the study’s first author, said:

“It’s these populations of immune cells that still show abnormalities even when everything else seems to have resolved itself that might be of importance in long COVID. For some cell types, it may be that they are just slow to regenerate, but for others, including some types of T and B cells, it appears something is continuing to drive their activity.

The more we understand about this, the more likely we will be able to better treat patients whose lives continue to be blighted by the after-effects of COVID-19”.

13/ The Crucial Importance Of Diet

As the Milken Institute reported, the single most significant risk factor contributing towards chronic illnesses is being overweight and obese.

As well as measuring the waistline and stepping on the scales, we are also now beginning to better understand exactly what is going on – on the inside – at a cellular level and the role that polyphenols in high quality extra virgin olive oil can play in protecting our bodies against a wide range of chronic diseases.

The Mediterranean Diet has topped the list of the U.S. News and World Report Annual Ranking Of Diets for the fifth year in a row.

The ever-popular diet, with its emphasis on quality extra virgin olive oil, fresh fruit, vegetables and fish continues to out rank its rivals on this key barometer for wellness and nutrition. It was named best diet overall for 2022, in addition to best diet for healthy eating, best heart-healthy diet, best diet for diabetes, best plant-based diet and easiest diet to follow.  That’s a lot of wins!

Speaking to Good Morning America, managing editor of U.S. News and World Report said: “There’s no real surprise why that is […] It’s healthy. It’s delicious. It’s nutritious, and it’s really easy to follow.”

The Mediterranean Diet is followed in the list by other popular dietary choices near the top of the hit parade: namely DASH, Flexitarian, MIND, TLC, Mayo Clinic, WW and Volumetrics.

U.S. News and World Report described the Mediterranean diet a “well-balanced eating plan” referencing research that suggests it could help prevent some chronic diseases and increases longevity.

14/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil and The Mediterranean Diet For Wellness

It is generally accepted that the folks in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea live longer and suffer less than most Americans from cancer and cardiovascular ailments. The not-so-surprising secret is an active lifestyle, weight control, and a diet low in red meat, sugar and saturated fat and high in produce, nuts and other healthful foods, with extra virgin olive oil at its heart.

The Mediterranean Diet including extra virgin olive oil offers a host of health benefits, particularly including weight loss, heart and brain health, cancer prevention, and diabetes prevention and control. By following the Mediterranean Diet, you could also keep that weight off while avoiding chronic disease.

There is not a single Mediterranean diet. Greeks eat differently from Italians, who eat differently from the French and Spanish. But they share many of the same principles and all include extra virgin olive oil as a key constituent.

U.S. News Best Diet Rankings

A recent review of 35 diets by  U.S. News’ with inputs from a panel of health experts  ranked the  Mediterranean Diet  #1 in Best Diets Overall. 

Mediterranean Diet is ranked:

1. Best Diets Overall
2. Best Plant-Based Diets
3. Best Diabetes Diets
4. Best Diets for Healthy Eating
5. Easiest Diets to Follow
6. Best Heart-Healthy Diets

Olive Oil And The Mediterranean Diet

Olive oil is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet. The people will eat slower and in a more enjoyable eating. People who eat a Mediterranean diet have a variety of health benefits. The olive oil in the Mediterranean diet can quickly satisfy hunger and lead to fewer total calories ingested at mealtime. It is unclear if any single component of this diet is responsible for these health benefits or if it is a combination of olive oil and a diet high in vegetables, fruit and fish.

Extra virgin olive oil has no chemical processing. (Nearly every other vegetable oil has been detoxified and refined with steam and solvents). Fresh pressed extra virgin olive oil can be eaten immediately and retains the natural flavours, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other healthy products of the ripe olive fruit.

Most doctors advocate lowering total fat and calories in your diet, and substituting butter, margarine and tropical oils with healthy fats like olive oil.

Health Benefits Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The village of Pioppi, Italy became notorious as the home of the Mediterranean diet. As the villagers have no supermarket, their diet consists largely of vegetables, olive oil and fish. They also eat cheese, but other dairy products aren’t available. Pasta and bread eaten in small quantities. In addition to sugar, their diet is low in meat and refined carbohydrates. Many of its residents live past the age of 100.

Picture what it would be like to enjoy one’s golden years without dementia or type 2 diabetes, maladies that are an integral part of aging in the rest of the world. After hearing about Pioppi, cardiologist Aseem Malhotra became fascinated with discovering what diet kept the residents so healthy and what lessons could be learned from them.

After studying the village, Malhotra developed a formula for optimal health. For starters, the Pioppians have a very low sugar intake, eating it only once per week. It is this dietary practice that the doctor considers essential for their good health. He contends that western society’s fear of fat is to blame for the high consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates. Malhotra attributes these foods as the cause of the widespread incidence of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Other lifestyle practices aside from a healthful diet play a role. The villagers get seven hours of sleep per night and experience freedom from much stress. Although it isn’t intentional, intermittent fasting is a natural part of their lives. They don’t engage in exercise per se, but they’re very active.

Components Of The Mediterranean Diet And Risk Of Covid-19

The positive effects of a healthy diet on Covid-19 are now being confirmed in studies.  

From March to December 2020, 9,699 participants of the “Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra” (SUN) cohort answered a COVID-19 questionnaire. After excluding doctors and nurses, 5,194 participants were included in the main statistical analyses. Among them, they observed 382 cases of COVID-19 based on symptoms and clinical diagnosis; 167 of them with test confirmation.

For the two COVID-19 definitions used, the study found a significant decrease in risk for a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet. A protective effect was also found for symptomatic COVID-19.

Among the different individual food groups, only the consumption of whole dairy products showed a harmful direct association. The study concluded ‘The Mediterranean diet as a whole seems more important than each of its components in preventing the infection and symptoms of COVID-19’.

Source: Components of the Mediterranean Diet and Risk of COVID-19

So whether you are looking for a:

• Diet for heart health
• Diet for weight loss
• Diet for blood pressure
• Diet for type-2 diabetes
• Diet for overall wellness and health
• Diet to fight Covid-19

…the Mediterranean diet – with high quality extra virgin olive oil as a key component, is a simple lifestyle choice that could well have a profound impact on you overall health and wellbeing and lead to a more fulfilling, longer, pain free life.