Have you heard people singing praises of olive oil that you're now itching to try it out yourself, whether to improve your health, skin or solely for weight loss? Well, before anything else, I suggest that you learn some hard facts about olive oil (its pros and cons) before you jump on the bandwagon, at least, so that you know what you're feeding your body with and how to make the most out of eating it.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive oil benefits your health by helping to regulate blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol and blood glucose. It also helps to prevent brain damage and failure of your adrenal glands. You can also consume it in moderation to help you lose weight.

Skin Benefits of Olive Oil

It promotes a smooth, radiant complexion and helps to maintain the elasticity of your skin. Besides that, you can use this liquid gold to heal your dry, brittle nails and soften the cuticles to provide better protection against harmful bacteria. It also helps to condition and add shine to your hair beyond its skin care.

Disadvantages of Olive Oil

Olive oil carries predominantly monounsaturated fatty acid (about 77%). Any unsaturated fatty acid may promote blood clotting, thereby hampering normal blood circulation. However, it's able to counteract blood clotting thanks to its own anti-inflammatory compounds such as hydroxytyrosol, oleocanthal and omega-3.

But I'm not done yet. Again, due to its monounsaturated fatty acid structure, the oil can readily react with free radicals upon heated. And this could change the nutritional and healthful properties of the oil. You can avoid this by eating olive oil in its most natural form without heating, like adding as dressing for cold salad or dipping your bread in it.

Types of Olive Oil

Different types of olive oil provide different nutritional values and hence different health benefits. We have grades of extra-virgin, virgin, pure, refined, olive-pomace oil and lampante oil.

Of these 6 types of olive oil, lampante oil bears the lowest quality (highest acidity level), hence it's not edible. But rather, used as a fuel or other commercial products in the industrial market. Extra-virgin grade or class, on the other hand, holds the highest quality (hence, most expensive) because it is made from cold-pressing. Followed by virgin, pure and refined graded oil.

For health benefits, I suggest that you go with extra-virgin olive oil. You pay more. Virgin grade may offer cheaper alternative but you get less nutritional benefits in return. In short, you get what you pay for.

These olive oil facts serve to provide an overall picture for you. You might want to get into its specifics to find out more on how this liquid gold benefits your health.