There is no doubt that olive oil has benefited our society in many ways. For centuries, people have used olive oil to cook with, to rub on fish and meat to make sure they are cooked evenly, and for soap making. Nowadays, we know that olive oil is good for our health due to its high content of antioxidants and healthy fats. Many people have used olive oil to help them lose weight, but does drinking olive oil help you lose weight?
How Does Olive Oil Help You Lose Weight?
Drinking olive oil can help you lose weight through three mechanisms; (1) Increasing the metabolic rate; (2) Promoting intestinal fat oxidation; and (3) Minimizing dietary fat absorption. Let’s have a look.
1. Increasing The Metabolic Rate
We all know that obesity is now considered to be one of the major problems in today’s society. Unfortunately, not all the cases of obesity are caused by overeating; in fact, there are several medical conditions that cause obesity without having anything to do with food. One of the simplest ways to lose weight is to increase your metabolic rate. When your metabolic rate is high, it simply means that your body is working hard to produce energy so that you can stay alive. Nowadays, this can be measured through various methods such as looking at your resting heart rate, checking the size of your abdominal area, or undergoing a fitness test with a personal trainer. When your metabolic rate is high, it usually means that you are physically active and eating healthily. This is why many people opt to increase their metabolic rate through exercise and better eating habits. Studies have shown that olive oil can increase your resting heart rate and oxygen uptake (a measurement of how much oxygen your body takes in while at rest). This makes olive oil a good addition to your exercise regime or daily workout plans. Moreover, a 2017 study from the United Kingdom demonstrated that olive oil can also increase your aerobic metabolic rate by 15%! This is great news for anyone who wants to lose weight and achieve better health.
2. Promoting Intestinal Fat Oxidation
When your body is in ketosis (a metabolic state in which your body uses ketones instead of glucose for energy) it becomes easier to lose weight. The ketosis state forces your body to undergo a number of adaptations that make it easier for you to lose weight. One of these is promoting the breakdown of fats in your intestine instead of storing them as fat cells in your body. This means that when your body digests food, it starts breaking down fats rather than storing them as fat cells. There are numerous studies that have shown the beneficial effects of olive oil on your intestine. One of the first studies was conducted in 1995 by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. In this study, 48 overweight adults were placed on either a diet containing olive oil or a diet containing saffron. At the end of the study, the participants who had consumed the olive oil diet showed significant improvements in several measures of intestinal health, including decreased fat absorption and increased fatty acid oxidation. Another study, this time from the UK, also showed that olive oil improves the lipid profile and reduces cholesterol in subjects with type 2 diabetes. These findings were confirmed in 2017 when researchers at the University of Granada in Spain administered olive oil to overweight subjects with type 2 diabetes and concluded that olive oil was able to significantly improve the subjects’ lipid profile and insulin resistance.
3. Minimizing Dietary Fat Absorption
When you reduce the amount of dietary fats that your body absorbs, it becomes easier for you to lose weight. This is because fats are needed for a number of bodily functions, and when you deprive your body of the nutrient, it has to go looking elsewhere for it. The best way to reduce the amount of fats that your body absorbs is to minimize your daily calorie intake or avoid eating the nutrient altogether. The most direct way to do this is to avoid foods that have fats in them. Instead of eating an egg cream, for example, try having a water cream or a vanilla whey protein shake. You’ll find that most artificial sweeteners have a low impact on your body fat percentage, especially when compared to the sugar-laden snacks that you typically opt for when craving something sweet. When you adopt this strategy, you’ll experience a noticeable difference in how you feel and how you look. You’ll be able to tell that you’re on the right track to weight loss when you start to see changes in your skin and hair. This is because when your body is deprived of nutrients, it actually begins to repair what it has been lacking. Hence, the term ‘famine’ as a means of weeding out bad cells and allowing your body to function at its optimum capacity.
Is Drinking Olive Oil Always Enough To Help You Lose Weight?
Although olive oil is an excellent way to increase your metabolic rate, it’s not always the case that simply drinking the oil is enough to help you lose weight. If you want to lose weight, you will need to do some research into the best ways to incorporate the oil into your diet. There are several factors that you need to consider such as how much weight you want to lose, how long you want to do it, and your current diet. If you are currently on a low-carb diet or have no history of obesity, it is highly recommended that you try out a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil since these are easier for your body to process than long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). LCTs are the most common form of oil found in fast food restaurants and are often created when there is excess energy in the form of carbohydrates. MCTs are a much healthier alternative since they don’t create as much intestinal discomfort as LCTs. Your body will certainly thank you for incorporating more MCTs into your diet.
Which Type Of Olive Oil Should You Drink?
There are several types of olive oil that you should try out depending on your personal preferences. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to determine which type of olive oil is the best fit for your body since the bioavailability or the ability of the oil to be used by your body depends on numerous factors that can vary from individual to individual. Some of the factors include the type of food that you have eaten prior to consuming the oil, how the oil was stored prior to consumption, and how you plan to use the oil. The following are various types of olive oils that you may want to try out.
1. Light Oil
When you consider the issues of bioavailability and individual variations, it’s quite difficult to determine which type of oil is the best choice for your body. For this reason, it is usually recommended to go for a light oil. When choosing a light oil, you should go for a type that is easy for your body to digest. For example, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is one of the healthier options since it is made using heat-free methods. These oils have a low level of polyunsaturated fats and cholesterol and high levels of monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. When you are choosing a light oil, you are making sure that your body does not accumulate the fat that comes from the oil since it is considered unhealthy. If you decide that a medium-chain triglyceride oil is best suited for your body, then you should try out coconut oil since it is the richest source of MCTs. Coconut oil has a high level of lauric acid, a chemical compound that has important bactericidal properties. In case you opt for saffron oil, it does not have the same effect as coconut oil on your body since it is not as dietary pure.
2. Virgin Oil
When you are opting for virgin oil, you are making sure that the oil is unprocessed. For instance, extra virgin olive oil is quite likely the best choice for those who want to lose weight since it has a high level of monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. When you are opting for virgin oil, you are also helping your body in the synthesis and restoration of membranes in your cell walls. These are very important for your body’s health since they help prevent senility and Alzheimer’s disease. This property is also why scientists use a high dose of vitamin E when they analyze the oil for its health benefits.