This is a subject I was interested in doing because it seems most people don't know a lot about oils, and some don't know anything at all.  I've been aware of certain oils and what's about them is good for you for a quite a while and I think it would be a very good idea to give you guys the info about them if you don't already know.  I was originally going to make this topic about oils in general, but there was lot of information on the benefits of each and I didn't want to shortchange you guys on that info.  So instead of simply listing what the benefits are or making a hugely long thread that would be to much to read I've decided to focus on a couple oils at a time.  Copied from an article on a blogsptot.com page with add info coming a couple others, this week's topic is about Olive oil and Grape Seed oil.  That blogspot page more or less lists different oils that can be added to your diet and doesn't really delve into what their benefits really are, so I did some further research and added additional info for each.  I will say if you are able to you should really look into getting some oils for your meals.  Believe me, you will benefit from them.~


Evidence is piling up that healthy fats are essential to good health. They help protect your body from age-related diseases like heart disease and arthritis and high blood pressure and cholesterol. So which fats are heart healthy? The oils which contain unsaturated fats such as olive oil, flax oil, walnut, peanut and grapeseed oils help you stay healthy and contain omega 3 and omega 9 fatty acids. An added bonus is that these oils provide a wonderful variety of tastes for any cook.
So today's healthy living tip is to replace less healthy oils, like vegetable oil and corn oil, with these healthier oil alternatives.
So what is the best way to use these heart healthy oils? Two very good oils are olive oil and grapeseed oil, which offer different flavors and different ways to use them.


Olive Oil

Look for Extra Virgin or cold pressed. Contrary to popular beliefs, olive oil shouldn't be used for cooking at high heat as it looses important flavor and nutrients. Instead use olive oil in salad dressing, as a condiment to dip your bread and other low temperature uses. Olive oil contains Omega 9 oils a healthy monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) which is important in your diet.    MUFAs and PUFAs may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving related risk factors. For instance, MUFAs may lower your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. MUFAs may also help normalize blood clotting. And some research shows that MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.  Benefits include:

-Healthy Heart Benefits
Atherosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries, occurs when particles of LDL cholesterol stick to the walls of the arteries. Eventually these particles build up and form plaque. This plaque narrows the blood vessels and increases the work load of the heart in an effort to get oxygenated blood to the entire body. The result can be a heart attack or stroke.
Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat and antioxidants like chlorophyll, carotenoids and vitamin E. Scientists have identified a compound in olive oil called oleuropein which prevents the LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. It is the oxidized cholesterol that sticks to the walls of the arteries and forms plaque. Replacing other fats in your diet with olive oil can significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack.

-Cancer Inhibitor
A study published in the January 2005 issue of Annals of Oncology has identified oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, as having the ability to reduce the affect of an oncogene (a gene that will turn a host cell into a cancer cell). This particular oncogene is associated with the rapid growth of breast cancer tumors. The conclusion of the researchers was that oleic acid when combined with drug therapy encouraged the self-destruction of aggressive, treatment-resistant cancer cells thus destroying the cancer. Olive oil has been positively indicated in studies on prostate and endometrial cancers as well.
Unlike other fats, which are associated with a higher risk of colon cancer, olive oil helps protect the cells of the colon from carcinogens. A study published in the November 2003 issue of Food Chemistry Toxicology suggests that the antioxidants in olive oil reduce the amount of carcinogens formed when meat is cooked.

-Blood Sugar Controller
Diabetics or those at risk for diabetes are advised to combine a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet with olive oil. Studies show this combination is superior at controlling blood sugar levels compared to a diet that consists entirely of low-fat meals. Adding olive oil is also linked to lower triglyceride levels. Many diabetics live with high triglyceride levels which put them at risk for heart disease.

-Anti-Inflammatory Properties
The body uses the healthy fats in olive oil to produce natural anti-inflammatory agents. These anti-inflammatory agents can help reduce the severity of both arthritis and asthma. Uninflamed cell membranes are more fluid and better able to move healthy nutrients into the cells and move waste products out. A lower incidence of osteoporosis and dementia is found in areas where people consume large quantities of olive oil.

-A Fat That Helps You Lose Fat
Sounds impossible, right? A study conducted on eight over-weight men published in the September 2003 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition yielded results that indicate a significant loss of body weight and fat mass can be achieved without increasing physical activity and making only one change in eating habits: the substitution of olive oil for saturated fats.
The eight men were divided into two groups and for four weeks ate similar foods with the exception that the first group ate more saturated than unsaturated fats. The second group consumed the same number of calories as the first group, but the fats were mostly monounsaturated fat (olive oil). At the end of four weeks, the men from the second group were lighter and had a lower body-fat index than the men who ate the saturated fats.

Grape Seed Oil

Grape seed Oil is a wonderful oil for oil because it has a very high smoke temp (480°F/250°C for refined oil) so it is resistant to break down during cooking. Grapeseed oil can be used in Chinese stir fry and in place of peanut oil. Grapeseed oils is high in polyunsaturates and anti-oxidants which helps it to resist becoming rancid better than many vegetable oils. Benefits include:

-Antioxidant
Most everyone knows about antioxidants.  The more common ones are the vitamins C and E.  If you're like most people, you take a vitamin C tablet every day and maybe more if you have a cold.
The antioxidants that are found in grape seed extract are called proanthocyanidins.  Proanthocyanidins are 20 times more powerful than vitamin C and 50 times more potent than vitamin E when it comes to scavenging free radicals.  Free radicals are one of the causes of cellular aging.  If we take the right combination of antioxidants every day, we may extend our life spans significantly.

-Circulatory & Vascular Disorders
The primary grape seed extract benefit, the one that has been studied the most, is to treat and prevent circulatory and vascular disorders.  It may be beneficial for those that suffer from varicose veins and atherosclerosis.

-High Blood Pressure, Diabetes
There are benefits of grape seed for those that suffer from high blood pressure and complications associated with diabetes, including retinopathy, which can lead to blindness and nerve death, which can lead to amputation.  The seeds have been used to treat swelling caused by injury or disease.  That is due to the anti-inflammatory activity of proanthocyanidins.

-Cavities, Cancer, Cirrhosis
Because of the grape seed extract benefit to the circulatory system, it may reduce the risk of blood clots in the brain and heart.  It has been used to promote healing and help prevent cavities.  Current studies focus primarily on the benefits of grape seed for prevent cancer, liver cirrhosis and degenerative diseases of all kinds.
Another well known grape seed extract benefit is to improve night vision.  That is also a benefit of vitamin A.  The combination of the two could help you drive more safely when it's dark outside.

-Allergies, Hay Fever
Grape seed extract is one of the botanicals that can reduce allergies.  It inhibits the production of inflammatory compounds that cause allergic reactions, particularly things like hay fever.  It does this without causing the unwanted side effects that accompany antihistamines.

-Wrinkles, Sagging Skin
If you are worried about getting wrinkles or having saggy skin as you get older, you may be interested in the benefits of grape seed for the skin's health.  Because of its antioxidant activity, it protects collagen fibers from the damage that free radicals can do.  Because of its anti-inflammatory activity, it helps prevent chronic inflammation from damaging collagen fibers, too.

But, of all of these, the grape seed extract benefit that has most people excited is its potential to prevent cancer of all kinds.  Grape seed extract has been shown in laboratory studies to decrease the rate of growth of cancer cells and tumors.


So yeah, I always knew Olive oil was good for you and have been consuming some every day with my meals, but I was unaware of many of the benefits of Grape Seed extract.  Especially the cancer and allergies facts.  That's pretty cool stuff.  And I know some of you may be interested in the anti-aging skin aspect.  I think you can buy Grape Seed extract in the form of pills at a store like Walmart or Walgreens. I'm sure there is a bit more info on these two oils but they probably go into further detail of the benefits.  The "basic detailed" info is listed here to give you all a growing interest in them.
As always, please add any info you know of or have researched on.


Click here to go to "Well Being" week 7

Click here to go to "Well Being" week 5

Wow, neat. I learned about fats and stuff from chemistry and their benefits; it's nice to see how some of the things I learned apply to life itself. I knew about olive oil and its benefits at helping cancer and such, but I didn't know the things that grapeseed oil did. Especially things like helping against cavities and allergies.

I love olive oil. I knew it was good for you, but I didn't know how so I found this rather interesting. In case anyone is wondering, the oil at Bertucci's is just olive oil with some extra flavorings in it. That's my favorite way to get olive
oil

This is honestly my favorite Well Being thread so far. The rest are good, but this is the best. Are you planning on doing these for a while?

BNuge : Yes, there will be 1, possibly 2 more after this. The 2nd part will be up soon.

Cyro Xero :

I know you said you would do more oil related threads. I meant to ask if you were planning to do a lot of Well Being threads. You're up to 6 already. I'm wondering if you decided on a limit or not.

Nope.  No limit.  This is going to continue for as long as I can do them.  And even if I stop it would be good if someone else continued in my place.

Good tips there