Olive Oil Wonders - Ulcerative Colitis Natural treatment

• Health benefits of Olive oil can be attributed to the presence of nutrients such as omega-3, oleocanthal, phenolic compounds, selenium and vitamins.
• Olive oil is an integral component of the Mediterranean diet which is considered to be one of the healthiest diets.
• It is known to provide protection against cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and even cancer. Olive oil has proved useful in skin and hair care, and if used in food instead of saturated fats, it may aid in weight loss as well.
• The mono-unsaturated healthy fats such as omega-3 give olive oil its anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation, as we know, is linked to number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, asthma and cancer.
• Olive oil is also very high in anti-oxidant content. Anti-oxidants help prevent cell damage through free radical scavenging and also help repair cell damage. Increased anti-oxidants in the body slow down the process of aging and may even increase longevity.
• Scientists have recently discovered that a good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains a natural organic compound called oleocanthal which is responsible for the peppery sting of the oil and which has anti-inflammatory as well as anti-oxidant properties. This compound has shown to inhibit the activity of enzymes involved in inflammation much the same way as the NSAIDs.

• Ulcerative Colitis - a dreadful disease can be prevented by olive oil as per the new report from medical researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA). The conference at the Digestive Disease Week conference at New Orleans revealed that people with a diet rich in oleic acid i. e., a constituent of olive oil are less likely to develop ulcerative colitis.
• The disease which causes the inflammation of the lining of the colon or large bowel increases the abdominal pain and adds to diarrhoea and weight loss. It was an observational study performed by Dr Andrew Hart of UEA's School of Medicine, that included 25,000 respondents aged 40-65 living in Norfolk, UK.
• The respondents who were selected by EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Diet and Cancer) not suffering from ulcerative colitis and at the same time did not have olive oil in their diets, completed detailed food diaries which were later analyzed by specially trained nutritionists working in Cambridge. Within seven years 22 complained of the disease, to which Dr. Wart said, "We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect."