Olive Oil Misconception

I was reading an article by Dr. Dean Ornish, MD, about the misconception of olive oil.

Olive oil doesn't lower cholesterol, it just doesn't raise it as much when you substitute it in equivalent amounts for butter or oils that are higher in saturated fat.

Canola oil has more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than olive oil.

A study found that olive oil reduced blood flow by 31 percent. Canola oil and fish oil don't. You want to increase blood flow to all body parts.

Dr. Ornish says he likes the taste of olive oil, and uses it sometimes. He says olive oil is a healthier fat than many others, but it's not nearly as healthy as canola oil, fish oil and flaxseed oil.

He says a tablespoon of any oil has about 126 calories. Think about that before you pour it on.

Interesting. I remember hearing that olive oil was supposed to be one of the best oils for you.

That's a pretty sizable number. Especially if you've already got circulatory issues.

I wonder how it does that.
Is there something in olive oil that thickens blood, causes veins to constrict ?
I would think olive oil caused less buildup on the walls of veins than other types of oil.

On a side note, I guess my taste buds were on to something when preferring canola to olive when making popcorn.

Saturated fats, trans fatty acids and partially hydrogenated fats promote inflammation and raise LDL cholesterol. LDL is the bad cholesterol. Too much LDL in the blood can clog arteries.

Do you think that would be why blood flow would decrease, because of inflammation, and the bad LDL cholesterol clogging our arteries? I don't know, but it seems like that could certainly cause some serious problems.





So yeah, it sounds like olive oil caused less buildup on the walls of veins than other types of oil.

Inflammation makes sense to me. Even if it's the tissue around the veins becoming inflamed, that could be pinching off smaller veins and reducing blood flow to tiny parts of certain areas.

It would be like having the neighborhood streets just off of the highway getting closed due to everyone deciding they want to add 10 feet to their front yard at once.