Study findings suggest olive oil may be effective at lowering blood pressure in healthy men.
Researchers at the University of Barcelona randomly assigned 110 healthy men from non-Mediterranean countries (Germany, Finland and Denmark) and 45 men from Mediterranean countries (Spain and Italy) to include one of three types of olive oil in their diets for thirteen weeks.
Researchers measured serum oleic acid in the participants and found that blood levels increased by two to three percent in the men from the non-Mediterranean countries. The men from Mediterranean regions did not exhibit a significant increase in blood oleic acid levels.
High levels of oleic acid in the blood can lower cholesterol levels.
These results indicate that a moderate consumption of olive oil may be used as an effective tool to reduce blood pressure in healthy men who do not typically consume a Mediterranean diet.
The findings were published in the Journal of Nutrition.
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