Researchers originally began looking at the health benefits of olive leaf extract, because the leaves are a component of the Mediterranean diet. This is one of the diets that seem to reduce the risk of heart disease, because there is a low incidence of the disease among people that eat these kinds of foods.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the Mediterranean diet is a “heart-healthy eating plant”. According to a study conducted in 2007, it lowers your risk of death from both heart disease and cancer for both men and women. The key components include eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables every day, eating healthy fats found in olives and canola oils, including small portions of nuts (about one cup) per day, drinking red wine and eating fish on a regular basis.
The diet consists of very little red meat and whole grains, such as rice. Whole grain bread is an important part of the diet, but it is eaten without butter or margarine.
Researchers have often tried to find a single component of a diet that makes it healthier than others. That’s why they have looked at the health benefits of olive leaf extract. The leaves are not usually eaten, but have been used as medicine, since pre-biblical times. Modern day research has shown that compounds found in the leaves attack pathogens; specifically bacteria, viruses and fungi.
Compounds found in red wine, primarily resveratrol, but there are others, have antioxidant and anti-cancer activity. They prolong the life of heart cells, as well. All fruits and vegetables provide nutrients. The antioxidant content has to do with the color of fruits, vegetables or roots. For example, curcumin is responsible for the yellow-orange color of turmeric roots. Each differently colored fruit or vegetable provides a different antioxidant. This is why it has been suggested that we eat a “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables every day.
You can get the health benefits of olive leaf extract and those of many other fruits and vegetables, with a well-designed multi-nutritional supplement. A well-designed supplement may provide some of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Around the world, other traditional diets are seen to be healthy, too. Typically, they are low in animal fight, high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish and whole grains; quite different from the typically American diet.
There has been some research concerning the health benefits of olive leaf extract, but there has been a great deal more concerning resveratrol, curcumin and also green tea. Green tea is a staple of the traditional Asian diet, another heart healthy eating plan.
There is no doubt that adopting a healthy eating plan and being more physical active are keys to improving your overall health. One thing that supplements can do is give you the energy to be more physically active and reducing food cravings that are symptoms of nutritional deficits. Now that you know a little more about the health benefits of olive leaf extract, you might want to learn about what goes into making the best nutritional supplements.