Advantages and Disadvantages of Olive Oil

Pros and Cons of Olive Oil

Popularly known as ‘liquid gold’ in ancient times, olive oil has come far from being known as a healthy culinary ingredient to a magical ingredient having enormous beauty and health benefits. Many celebrities across the globe have revealed that olive oil is an indispensable part of their daily beauty regimen. In addition, medical studies have proven that the consumption of olive oil on regular basis can improve life span and protect the body from various kinds of lifestyle diseases.

But what has gained immense recognition as a wonder food also comes with certain drawbacks, ignoring which can cause serious health disorders.

Here are advantages and disadvantages of olive oil that can help you to wisely use olive oil for enhancing your health and beauty:

Advantages of Olive Oil

1. Improves Your Skin’s Health

Loaded with vitamin E, olive oil acts as a great non-sticky moisturiser that suits every skin type. Olive oil helps in keeping skin supple, glowing and youthful. It comes with antioxidants that help in keeping wrinkles and other signs of ageing at bay.

2. Can Be Used As Scrub

Showing off that sexy pout at Instagram and Facebook with lips looking chapped and dry? Get supple and pretty lips by using olive oil based lip scrub. Just mix brown sugar, olive oil and lemon juice and gently scrub on the lips for few minutes for lovely smooth lips.

You can make a wonderful exfoliating scrub for curing your cracked feet by mixing and rubbing hot lemon water and olive oil on your feet. After completing this process for few minutes cover your feet with socks.

3. Helps in Removing Makeup

Instead of buying expensive chemical laden makeup removers, use natural ingredient like olive oil that effectively removes makeup, dirt and oil and leaves the skin unharmed and extremely moisturised.

4. Great for Healthy Hair & Nails

Since olive oil is rich in vitamin E, regular application of this oil on hair can not only fight hair loss, but also provide shine and strength to dull and lifeless hair while also controlling scalp irritation. Nails speak volumes about your health and if you want to improve the appearance of your nails, just massage your nails with little olive oil before bathing and leave it for around 30 minutes and wash off.

5. Helps in Preventing Diabetes & Cancer

Studies have revealed that extra virgin olive oil contains adequate amounts of mono and polyunsaturated fats which help in keeping blood sugar under control. Also, olive oil contains antioxidants in abundance, which helps in fighting the free radical effect that causes cancer. Therefore, start including olive oil in your diet to keep cancer and diabetes at bay.

Recommended: Importance of Vitamin E Oil for Face

6. Helps in Reducing Depression & Preventing Alzheimer’s

Olive oil is among the few foods that are loaded with antidepressants that fight mood swings. This oil is known to increase the level of serotonin while lowering cortisol or stress hormones. Olive oil also improves learning, memory and other cognitive abilities, which in turn can help in preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Keeps Check On Cholesterol’s

Extra virgin olive oil contains saturated and polyunsaturated fats on the lower side and high levels of monounsaturated fats that helps in lowering the bad cholesterol level and building good cholesterol or HDL in the body.

8. Flushes Off Kidney Stones

It has been studied that regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil can have marvellous effects in eliminating kidney stones from the body.

9. Keeps Heart Healthy

Since strokes are caused due to blood clots in the blood vessels connecting the brain, regular intake of olive oil can help in diluting these clots ensuring seamless flow of blood to the brain. This in turn, keeps the heart healthy and prevents heart attacks.

10. Helps In Weight Loss

You can still indulge in your favourite pasta and salads without compromising on the taste by including extra virgin olive oil in your daily diet. Since this oil is rich in essential nutrients and low in fat, replacing your regular oil with olive oil can definitely aid in your weight loss goals.

Disadvantages of Olive Oil

1. Causes Rashes & Acne

Since olive oil is heavy, it can clog pores and trap dirt, which can lead to acne. Olive oil has been found to be the reason for various skin allergies such as eczema, contact dermatitis, respiratory allergies, etc. People with oily skin must avoid applying olive oil on skin as it can cause severe rashes, redness and irritation. Hence, make use of extra virgin olive oil on skin and wash it off after few minutes of application for improving skin’s health.

2. Not Recommended For Use On Baby’s Skin

Baby’s skin is extremely sensitive and gets dry very soon. Since olive oil can cause rashes and eczema especially on dry and sensitive skin, doctors always recommend not applying olive oil on baby’s skin.

3. Improve Appearance of Blackheads

Being extremely sticky and oily, olive oil forms a layer in the skin blocking the pores and traps dirt and dead skin. This may lead to increase in formations of blackheads.

4. Increased Risk of Transfat and Saturated Fat Related Diseases

Unlike the extra virgin one, olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats which can increase the risk of diseases like stroke, breast cancer, obesity and heart ailments. Also, olive oil is often partially hydrogenated or refined under high heat which changes its molecular structure that can lead to growth of bad cholesterol in the body, hence increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Recommended: How To Use Castor Oil For Acne Treatment?

5. Lowers Blood Pressure & Blood Sugar Levels Below Normal

Over consumption of olive oil can bring down the blood sugar levels below normal as olive oil keeps controlling the insulin production in the body. Additional intake of olive oil can also lead to a steep fall in blood pressure levels and can cause dizziness, stroke and even kidney failure.

6. Can Cause Diarrhoea & Increase Weight

Olive oil is high in fats and has strong laxative properties, which can lead to digestive disorders when consumed in extra amounts. Despite having good fats, olive oil is rich in calories, which is why having this oil in limited amount is suggested for people looking to reduce some additional pounds.

7. Causes Blockage In Gallbladder

Too much intake of olive oil can block the gallbladder or cause gallstones as the stored bile produced by liver starts secreting and emulsifying the fats, which enter through consumption of excess olive oil. This at last results in blockage or stones.

While you have now gained enough knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of olive oil, you must also understand that olive oil is still excellent and healthy option. Just look for the extra virgin ones and ensure that you use for cooking on low or medium flame only to keep the nutrients of the oil unharmed. Purchasing the right kind of olive oil and storing it in an appropriate way is essential if you want to reap all the benefits of using olive oil.

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