Olive Oil for Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis, or porous bones, causes bones to become weak and brittle because of low bone density or, in many cases, because of low levels of calcium and other minerals and excessive bone loss in women due to estrogen deficiency or corticosteroid use.
Interestingly, many studies have found that people who were on Mediterranean diet were less likely to develop osteoporosis. Researchers found that the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of Olive oil could prevent bone loss. A number of research studies agree with this theory.
One of them is a French study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry which was conducted to determine whether the daily consumption of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol (Olive oil phenolic compounds) for 84 days could improve bone loss in experimental ovariectomized (corresponding to postmenopausal osteoporosis) animals. The study observed that these two phenolic compounds of Olive oil prevented osteopenia (low bone mineral density) by increasing bone formation.
Similarly, in another study published in the journal Osteoporosis International, the researchers found that oleuropein, a polyphenolic compound present in Olive oil, is associated with a reduction in bone loss by enhancing bone forming cells as well as by inhibiting formation of fat cells. They concluded that oleuropein could prevent age-related bone loss and osteoporosis.
