Olive oil for health and beauty care
Olive tree [Olea europea] is a native of Asia Minor presently comprising the countries of Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. The fruit oil of this tree is olive oil, and it is traditionally used by man for thousands of years.World's 98% of the cultivation of these trees is now done in the Mediterranean region and mostly in Tunisia, Italy, Greece and Spain.
Olive oil is traditionally used in pharmaceuticals, cooking and cosmetics. Once it was also used to fuel lamps.
Traditionally these fruits are crushed, ground and pressed to obtain the olive oil. Care has to be taken in selecting
the proper maturity of the fruits. The olive oil obtained from green fruits will taste bitter and that obtained from
over ripe fruits will taste rancid.
The perfectly ripened fruits are ground to get a fine paste using the traditional mill stones. The paste is allowed to stay
for about one hour under the mill stones. The oil collected by this process is of superior quality and is considered
extra virgin grade.
After this process the paste is further pressed to extract the remains and a lower grade oil is obtained.
image attribution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Italian_olive_oil_2007.jpg
Author: Alex Ex | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Nutritional and health benefits
Olive oil contains a high proportion of monosaturated fats having many health and beauty care benefits. It is rich in oleic acid. The extract is found to contain antioxidant polyphenols which are potent free radical scavengers. Application of virgin olive oil on the skin improves its suppleness and beauty. It has many proven skin health benefits. It has the property of displacing omega-6 fats without affecting omega-3 fats. Hence a balance is arrived between omega-3 and omega-6 fats improving the health and function of the brain.Heart ailments
It is believed that higher proportion of monosaturated fats in diet reduces the risk of getting coronary heart diseases. Olive oil consumption favorably affects the cholesterol oxidation and cholesterol regulation. Its consumption shows vasodilatory, anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects and hence reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It has been found that virgin olive oil helps to reduce obesity, rheumatoid arthritis and blood pressure.Antioxidant health benefits
The antioxidants, polyphenols present in the virgin olive oil give very good vasodilatory effects on consumption. This increased elasticity of the arteries reduces the stress on the arteries and heart, thereby reducing the risk of heart diseases. The antioxidants present in the extract help in lowering the risk of cancers of skin, colon, lung and breast. The increased amount of antioxidant presence in the body gives boost to its immune system.Beauty and skin care benefits
The effectiveness of olive oil in cosmetic and beauty care preparations for skin and hair is traditionally known. Extra virgin olive oil is extensively used by beauty conscious people. In cleansing method used for moisturizing the skin, extra virgin grade is preferred. It is also used for removal of ear wax. Application of olive oil on sun exposed skin reduces the ill effects of the exposure and enhances the beauty.|
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The dynamic nature
Mahmood Syed Faheem
image attribution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Olive.jpg
Author: Aracuano | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
| Underweight | :below 18.5 |
| Normalweight | :18.5-24.9 |
| Overweight | :25-29.9 |
| Obesity | :above 30.0 |
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