Wimbledon is here and, as we watch the top tennis stars battle it out in SW19, we wanted to look at why extra virgin olive oil is an excellent addition to the diet of high-performance athletes.
One of Wimbledon’s superstars, Rafael Nadal, has recently described extra virgin olive oil as an “essential” element of his diet. And he’s not alone.
As reported in Newsrebeat, Nadal said:
Wherever I am, I always look for olives or extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is an essential food for me. Every morning I make croutons with olive oil for breakfast, and at lunch and dinner I usually eat salad or fish, always with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
“It is an immovable part of my diet and my way of eating. Combining a balanced diet with sports makes you a better person, makes you feel better“, He added.
Rafael Nadal
Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is Beneficial For Athletes
Extra virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants, which help protect the body from free radicals. It’s also a good source of healthy fat, which can provide energy and support muscle growth. In addition, olive oil has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce inflammation and pain after exercise. Researchers are now investigating whether consuming extra virgin olive oil before or during exercise can improve athletic performance. So far, the evidence suggests that it can help improve endurance and strength, as well as reduce the risk of injuries.
Extra virgin olive oil has several benefits that help you take care of your health in the long term. In addition, it can also fight inflammation and oxidative stress. This is largely due to the number of vitamins, such as K and D that protect bones, and minerals than the rest. .of oils
Athletes like cyclists, long distance runners, tennis players and other high-performance sports and exercise enthusiasts stress their heart out more than the average person, so it’s beneficial to add nutrients to your diet that protect it. While blood clotting is a natural and healthy process required for the healing of wounds and prevention of excessive bleeding, clotting in the arteries can ultimately result in a heart attack or stroke.
One risk factor for unwanted clotting in our arteries is excessive clumping together of our platelet blood cells. This clumping process is also called “aggregation.” Regular incorporation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a meal plan has been shown to lessen the risk of this excessive aggregation, and the reason that researchers refer to Extra Virgin Olive Oil as an “anti-aggregatory” oil.
The other broad area of cardiovascular benefits involves improved levels of circulating fats in our bloodstream, as well as protection of those fats from oxygen-related damage. Decreased levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol following consumption of Extra Virgin Olive Oil are findings are the vast majority of studies that have analysed this relationship.
Yet equally important, the cholesterol molecules that remain in our blood also appear to be better protected from oxygen-related damage (oxidation). Since fats and cholesterol belong to a broader technical category called “lipids,” damage to the fats and cholesterol in our blood stream is typically referred to as “lipid peroxidation.” And it is precisely this lipid peroxidation process that gets reduced through incorporation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a meal plan.
It is crucial that the organs and tissues of the body receive proper blood supply. Lack of oxygen means death, therefore having a healthy cardiovascular system is vital for life. In most cases, cardiovascular disease can be prevented or greatly diminished through behavioural modifications. Individuals wishing to improve cardiovascular health should consume a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and abstain from smoking.
Imagine your body as a highly complex, high-performance engine. High quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil like Morocco Gold is natures highest performance engine oil, to keep your body well- tuned and running smoothly over a lifetime.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Monounsaturated fats are also anti-inflammatory, which helps with muscle recovery. Working out can cause micro-tears in your muscles, which can lead to inflammation, muscle pain, and soreness, but anti-inflammatories can help calm that reaction.
Plus, vitamin E is an antioxidant that many of us don’t get enough of. This nutrient helps boost your immune system and protect your body against heart disease and certain types of cancer. In addition, antioxidants protect your cells against damage, especially those in your muscles and lungs, which are extremely important when it comes to your athletic performance.
Vitamin K is important for absorbing fats like the monounsaturated ones in olive oil. If you don’t get enough of this vitamin, your body will have trouble using it effectively.
So, imagine your body is a high-performance engine. Keeping it topped up with natures highest performing ‘engine oil’ will ensure smooth performance for decades to come.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Muscle recovery
Muscles have a hard time during athletic training and need immediate recovery, which includes repair, strengthening and muscle building. EVOO is better than other fat sources in helping cells absorb cholesterol and convert it to testosterone. This is critical to the body’s muscle building process. Moreover, its combination of oleic acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids work together to build bone tissue and allow the body to regenerate.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Improved Bone Health
Decreased risk of bone fracture and better overall bone health is another area of increasing interest in Extra Virgin Olive Oil research.
One recent study compared the number of bone fractures in a group of 870 study participants over a period of seven years to see if intake of Extra Virgin Olive Oil was associated with the number of reported bone fractures. Results allowed the researchers to divide this large group into three categories.
In terms of their Extra Virgin Olive Oil intake, the lowest third of the study participants averaged 38 grams of Extra Virgin Olive Oil per day, approximately 3 tablespoons. The middle third averaged nearly 4 tablespoons (48 grams), and the top third averaged about 4.5 tablespoons (57 grams).
Participants in the highest category of Extra Virgin Olive Oil intake reported 51% fewer fractures than participants in the lowest category of Extra Virgin Olive Oil intake. Bone health or healthy bones is a serious modern condition. Anyone experiencing or at risk of the effects of osteoporosis should talk to their doctor. And determine the appropriate course of treatment.
