Olive oil is the reflection of the courtesy that one has for his own health.  

Olive oil is one of the most precious foods that nature has given as an award to humankind. 
There are numerous benefits that are provided by this miraculous oil in terms of health.    In every stage of our lives, from childhood until old age, olive oil has many benefits in terms of human health.      

Olive oil and heart health
Many studies affirm that olive oil is ranked the highest among the food favorable for heart health.  The countries that have the smallest proportion of population having heart diseases are the Mediterranean countries that consume the greatest amount of olive oil. 
The greatest benefit of olive oil is the reduction of bad cholesterol in blood.  Cholesterol causes coronary and vein diseases due to the clogging in the veins.  Olive oil prevents clogging by controlling the level of cholesterol in blood.  Furthermore, olive oil serves to control the level of blood pressure.  It has been proved that olive oil, having a great role in regulating digestion, serves also as protection against diseases as blood pressure, gastritis and ulcer.  Therefore, choosing olive oil as the main source of dietary fat acts natural way of curing any sicknesses varying from cholesterol to tooth decay and skin care.

Vitamin storage
Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant that is present in olive oil, serves as protection against cancer and prevents hair loss.  Adequate intake of olive oil containing antioxidants such as vitamin A, D, E and K as well as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, magnesium and low levels of minerals such as iron, copper and manganese help in the stage of bone development. 
Olive oil has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol level known as the bad form of cholesterol and higher HDL cholesterol level, known as the good form of cholesterol.  It also facilitates lowering the level of blood sugar of diabetes patients. 

Olive oil and digestion
Fats are digested in the intestines rather than in the stomach.  Olive oil is the one of the kinds of oil that is easily digested because it does not lower the amount of stomach acids required for digestion during the time spent in the stomach like other type of oils.  Olive oil is digested in the intestines after some time spent in the stomach.  Moreover, olive oil has a positive effect on the secretion of some digestion secretes.  It helps the gall bladder clear itself from cholesterol.  It also prevents constipation by regulating the functions of the intestines. 

Olive oil and child health
Nutrition is more important for children than it is for adults since nutrition during childhood effects the child’s whole life.  Brain development during the initial years of life resembles a direct correlation with nutrition.  Olive oil is an indispensable nutrient in terms of the fact that fats especially have a crucial role in child development. The main condition of life is the continuous renewal ability of cells.  Cell renewal, being the most rapid in childhood and adolescence slows down in time as the human being approaches old age. 
There is a strong correlation between nutrition and old age.  Nutrients expose substances as oxidants as they are being converted to energy in the body.  These oxidants that have a negative effect on cell development speed up the aging process.  Yet, substances called antioxidants abrogate the negative effect of oxidants.  Olive oil containing many antioxidants, primarily vitamin E renovates body cells and delays the aging of tissues and organs. 
Another problem that occurs during aging is calcification.  Some minerals including calcium prevent calcification.  Olive oil plays an important role in the prevention of calcification by activating the role of these minerals.

Olive oil and diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that is incurred in case of the insulin hormone in blood and causes instability of blood sugar.  Recent studies show that olive oil helps the prevention of some of the sicknesses caused by diabetes in the body, most important of which are coronary and vein diseases.  The cholesterol level in blood increases with respect to diabetes.  Olive oil helps preserve coronary and vein health by controlling the cholesterol level. 
Another characteristic of diabetes is that it causes the exposition of a greater amount of oxidants during digestion.  Olive oil reduces the negative effect of oxidants by means of the antioxidants that it possesses.  Additionally, olive oil helps the control of blood sugar.  As a result, olive oil is apparently the adequate type of oil for diabetes patients. 

Compiled by Mustafa Sezgin