{"id":11326,"date":"2015-06-16T21:27:12","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T18:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/?p=11326"},"modified":"2015-06-16T21:27:12","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T18:27:12","slug":"the-greek-liquid-gold-may-be-the-key-to-your-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/the-greek-liquid-gold-may-be-the-key-to-your-heart-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Olive Oil and Heart Health: the Greek “Liquid Gold” May Be the Key to a Healthy Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"
Olive oil may be the answer to radiant heart health, and some European nations, including Greeks, know this very well.<\/p>\n
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute,<\/p>\n
“Coronary heart disease<\/a> is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to our heart muscle”.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Smoking, high levels of certain fats and cholesterol in the blood, high blood pressure, high levels of sugar<\/a> in the blood (due to insulin resistance or diabetes<\/em>) and blood vessel inflammation are the main risk factors.<\/p>\n
However, coronary heart disease can be avoided<\/strong> or<\/strong>, at least, delayed by reducing the exposure to the risk factors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
The recipe is simple: low animal fat, healthy diet <\/strong>(plant-based, low in salt, added sugars, solid fats, and refined grains<\/em>) and regular exercise<\/strong>, in other words, a healthy lifestyle will help your heart health in good condition<\/a>.<\/p>\n
This is what scientists concluded after years of research that sheds light on the link between olive oil consumption and heart health:<\/h3>\n
The world’s first multinational epidemiological study was the innovative “7 Countries Study”, research conducted during the 1950s in seven countries <\/strong>(Italy, Greece, former Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Finland, United States, and Japan<\/em>).<\/p>\n
13,000 healthy men from 40 to 59 years old located in the above countries took part in this study. Scientists reached the conclusion that death rates from CHD can be predicted by knowledge of the average serum cholesterol<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
The people of Crete were the best performers in that study since they had the lowest death rate by CHD. As a result, follow up studies were performed by the University of Crete.<\/p>\n
In 1988, there was a new study<\/a> on the inhabitants of Spili, a rural area in Crete. Most of the population that took part in it was obese and presented increased cholesterol levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Moreover, smoking, hypertension, diabetes and a high occurrence of alcohol intake were common among them. The study confirmed the \u201cparadox\u201d: despite the high-risk factors for CHD signs of coronary artery disease were scarce, as only a few men with a previous myocardial infarction were encountered.<\/strong><\/p>\n