Picking ‘good’ oil can be tough

Studies point to extra-virgin olive oil as a winner

If you are confused about what oils are healthy and which are not, you aren’t alone.

The American Health Association (AHA) recently announced that coconut oil is unhealthy. For a while there, coconut oil was the ‘celebrity’ oil, appearing all over the place.

But as it turns out, the oil is also high in saturated fat, which raises bad cholesterol levels, and in turn is bad for one’s heart. In fact, the AHA reports that it can raise LDL “bad” cholesterol levels as much as butter, beef fat or palm oil. So what is good for you? Healthy oil options include canola, corn, soybean, peanut, safflower and sunflower oils, the AHA reports.

That old standby, extra virgin olive oil, is also actually a solid healthy choice, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, and might help reduce the chance of breast cancer.

And here’s the interesting twist this week on olive oil. Temple University researchers found that extra-virgin olive oil offers protection against memory loss, according to an article on ScienceDaily.com.

The article notes that extravirgin olive oil reduces brain inflammation, and “reduces the formation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain — classic markers of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The research was done in mice by researchers who were studying the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. The researchers noted that while a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is good, the extra-virgin olive oil appears to play an important role in health benefits too.

It’s a fascinating step forward in Alzheimer’s research. The illness is a fatal form of dementia, an “irreversible, progressive brain disease” and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. An estimated 5.4 million Americans are affected by it, according to the CDC.

While we often associate diet choices with health issues that impact our hearts or our waistlines; the reality is that what we eat impacts every zone of our bodies and our health.

Sorting through all the data and online information on healthy oil choices can be confusing, but it looks like extra-virgin olive oil is an excellent choice!

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?