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Olives are something I’m fanatic about. I’ll eat any kind, any flavor at any time, day or night. I’m obsessed with them.

Olives are fruits, and both the fruit and the oil have medicinal benefits.

Olive oil is the liquid fat that comes from olives. It is extremely high in oleic acid, which is known to reduce blood pressure. It also contains a good amount of natural vitamin E, carotenoids and oleuropein. That compound has strong anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects.

Extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, is sometimes referred to as cold-pressed. This type of oil is higher quality, has better flavor and is lower in acid than ordinary olive oil.

When you see “extra virgin” on the label, that means the oil was mechanically pressed out of the olives, as opposed to using chemicals to extract it. When the oil is squeezed and pressed from the olives mechanically, the vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids are not destroyed.

Olive oil consumption may help reduce incidence of cancer, including colorectal, uterine, breast, prostate, endometrial, ovarian, bladder, lung and pancreatic cancer.

Have you heard of the Blue Zone project? These are areas of the Earth where indigenous people experience health and longevity. Could olive oil be the main reason that residents of Ikaria, in Greece, commonly live 90 to 100 years or more?

The most recent news about olive oil is fantastic. Olive oil contains natural phenolic compounds, which are strong antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.

They also have anti-thrombotic activity, which means olive oil helps reduce the formation of blood clots that block the flow of blood to your brain (and/or the heart). Avoiding clots is the way to avoid stroke.

Oleocanthal, a phenolic component of extra virgin olive oil, acts a little bit like the famous drug ibuprofen. Extra virgin olive oil is like a natural NSAID!

New research from March 2019 in obese subjects confirms that eating olive oil just once a week helps lower platelet activation, which reduces the risk of clots. In turn, this lowers risk of heart attack and stroke.

Could olive oil confer even higher benefits in those who have healthier eating habits, a faster metabolic rate and/or lower BMI? More than likely, yes.

The take-home point is that olive oil appears to have strong health benefits to people who are high risk for stroke.

Don’t worry about the fact that it’s fat, because it’s a healthy fat. One tablespoon of olive oil contains the following nutritional information, according to the United States Department of Agriculture: zero sugar, zero cholesterol, 10 grams of monounsaturated fat and about 120 calories.

Olive oil is among the healthiest natural oils you can consume. I’m not in favor of vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil or medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.

I do recommend olive, grape seed, avocado, tea seed and pumpkin seed oils.

For more information, visit my website or sign up for my newsletter at suzycohen.com.