Healthy Fats In Nordic Diet Can Lower Cholesterol Without Weight Loss

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New Study shows Unsaturated Fats Like EVOO Play Key Role In Health Benefits

Updated February 7th 2024

Nordic Diet And Healthy Fat
Nordic Diet And Healthy Fat

Summary

  • Nordic Diet high in the healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil can lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels even without weight loss.
  • Healthy unsaturated fats, including extra virgin olive oil, sunflower and rapeseed oils, are higher in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. 
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in health monounsaturated fats as well as vitamins E and K. 
  • Extra virgin olive oil is a better quality than ordinary olive oil as it contains high levels of antioxidants or polyphenols which are thought to benefit the heart.
  • The demand for high quality extra virgin olive has increased in the last few years, thanks to growth in the health-conscious populace of the world.

Contents

New Study Links Nordic Diet With Extra Virgin Olive Oil To Reduced Blood Sugar and Cholesterol.

A new study has shown that a Nordic diet – high in the healthy dietary fats also present in extra virgin olive oil – can lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels even without weight loss.

The research, from the University of Copenhagen reveals clear evidence that a diet high in berries, vegetables, fish, whole grains and healthy fats can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Why Healthy Fat Like Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Be Part Of A Diet To Tackle Diabetes.

Olive Oil And Reduced Risk Of Heart Disease
Olive Oil And Reduced Risk Of Heart Disease

By making a change from saturated fats, such as butter, lard or animal fats to extra virgin olive oil, which contains much higher levels of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, you are helping to reduce the risk of high cholesterol affecting the function of your heart and arteries.

Healthy unsaturated fats, including extra virgin olive oil, sunflower and rapeseed oils, are higher in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.  This, say the researchers is likely to contribute to a beneficial mix for the body.

“By analyzing the blood of participants, we could see that those who benefited most from the dietary change had different fat-soluble substances than the control group. These are substances that appear to be linked to unsaturated fatty acids from oils in the Nordic diet. This is a sign that Nordic dietary fats probably play the most significant role for the health effects seen here, which I hadn’t expected,”

Lars Ove Dragsted, a researcher and head of section at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports.

“We can only speculate as to why a change in fat composition benefits our health so greatly. However, we can confirm that the absence of highly processed food and less saturated fats from animals, have a very positive effect on us. So, the fat composition in the Nordic diet, which is higher in omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fats, is probably a considerable part of the explanation for the health effects we find from the Nordic diet, even when the weight of participants remains constant,”

Lars Ove Dragsted

The findings of this study may surprise many who believe that positive effects on blood sugar and cholesterol are almost always due to weight loss.

Why Is The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Such A Healthy Fat Choice?

The list of reasons why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is such a great choice for nutrition is long!  But, when it comes to the facts and figures, here are the key things you need to know.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in health monounsaturated fats as well as vitamins E and K.  As summarised by Healthline, a tablespoon of olive oil contains the following nutrients:

  • Calories: 119
  • Saturated fat: 14% of total calories
  • Monounsaturated fat: 73% of total calories (mostly oleic acid)
  • Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA): 11% of total calories
  • Vitamin E: 13% of the Daily Value (DV)
  • Vitamin K: 7% of the DV

A quality extra virgin olive oil such as Morocco Gold is also one of the very best nutritional sources of antioxidants or polyphenols which help to fight inflammation and a wide range of common diseases.

Extra virgin olive oil is a better quality than ordinary olive oil as it contains high levels of antioxidants also found in grape skins, olives and sesame seeds which are thought to benefit the heart.

And finally, as well as all of these great vitamins and polyphenols,  extra virgin olive oil is extremely high in monounsaturated fatty acids which can benefit heart health and help protect against heart disease.

Extra Virgin olive oil is the go-to cooking oil for health-conscious food lovers and those wanting to cook healthily and lose weight. Mostly everyone who has ever read about a diet or has looked up for healthy food recipes is familiar with olive oil and its heart-healthy properties. But the wonders of extra virgin olive oil like Morocco Gold are much more than just protecting the heart from risks of attacks. The demand for high quality extra virgin olive has increased in the last few years, thanks to growth in the health-conscious populace of the world.

But did you know that having a shot of extra virgin olive oil, the first thing in the morning, has a lot of health benefits too?

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