The Benefits of Olive Leaf Extract

Olive leaves are where centuries of history meet modern-day science. For thousands of year’s fresh leaves from olive trees have been used as medicine to treat ailments and support general health. Today, researchers around the world are discovering and confirming the health benefits of olive leaf extract.

Let’s take a closer look at what olive leaf extract has to offer so you can see for yourself why you should be adding this ancient remedy to your diet.

Immune System Support

We all love to huddle up indoors during the colder seasons, meaning we’re in close proximity to others. It takes one person getting the flu or a cold and before you know it, the virus spreads to everyone. It’s even worse for kids, not only are they hanging around other kids their age but their immune system is still developing, which makes them even more susceptible to continually mutating strands of viruses and infections.

Olive leaf extract has been shown to boost your body’s ability to fight nasty, unwanted organisms and help manage viral infections. It both stimulates the body’s attack-and-destroy function (phagocytosis) and disrupts bacteria’s ability to replicate.

Using olive leaf extract to ward of fever and respiratory infections is an ancient practice, right back to the ancient Egyptians. There are quite a few studies that support these historical claims, showing that compounds found in olive leaf, such as oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol actively fight microbes that cause disease.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Olive leaf extract has great cardiovascular benefits and a long history of use as a heart tonic. Primarily, it’s been shown to help to decrease cholesterol levels while promoting healthier blood pressure as well. Together, these help to lower your risk factor for heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in today’s society.

Antioxidant Support

Antioxidants play a crucial role in the body, helping to eliminate free radicals and prevent cell oxidation. Without antioxidants, we’re leaving ourselves exposed to health risks and advanced aging, especially the appearance of your skin.

Olive leaf extract has outstanding antioxidants properties, more than twice as much as green tea extract and 400% more than vitamin C – a very potent free radical scavenger! 

Can Assist with Diabetes

Another way in which olive leaf extract helps promote better health is by reducing the risk of diabetes. It’ll help to stabilize blood glucose levels, especially after eating carbohydrate-rich meals, while also ensuring that your body responds favourably to the insulin that is being released.

It can help to improve insulin sensitivity while also reduce the chances that you become hypoglycemic after consuming carbohydrates.

Anti-inflammatory Benefits

Inflammation is at the heart of so many diseases and conditions today such as arthritis, heart disease, and Crohn’s disease.

While short-term inflammation, such as after an injury can be beneficial to our body, long-term inflammation, such as that occurs when we are eating poorly, heavily stressed, and not sleeping well is definitely not.

Olive leaf extract, when used regularly can help to lower overall inflammation occurring in the body and help promote well-being.

Improved Brain Health

It’s easy to overlook the mind when thinking about health but keeping your brain strong and healthy is just as important as keeping your heart, liver, or kidneys healthy.

The foods we eat on an everyday basis and the supplements we use can contribute to speeding up the cognitive decline that tends to occur with age. Olive leaf extract can help improve brain health and stop cognitive decline.

Additionally, it may also help to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease if you are already suffering and may also help to stop damage caused by free radicals that can lead to memory loss and overall poor cognition.

Helps Relieve Arthritis Pain

Olive leaf extract is also a great treatment for those who are suffering from arthritis. Because olive leaf helps to reduce the levels of inflammation in the body, it can help to lower the pain associated with osteoarthritis as well. This is the most common form of arthritis and impacts millions of people all over the world.

Taking it for even minor joint pain may help provide relief if you’re suffering.

Potential Fat Burning Effects

If you want to boost your overall rate of fat burning, olive leaf extract may help. It can potentially boost he natural output of thyroid hormones, which in turn may cause you to burn more energy each and every day.

In addition to that, it can also increase adrenaline in the body, which would also lead to an enhanced thermic effect. This said, the primary purpose of olive leaf extract is not to produce weight loss results, so consider this a possible side effect rather than a reason for taking it.

Improved Energy Levels

Finally, another strong benefit of olive leaf extract is that it may help to boost your natural energy levels as well. Those who take it on a continual basis often report feeling more energetic throughout the day and stronger overall.

Olive leaf extract is a supplement that you don’t hear much about, but it's one that definitely deserves your attention. Because it is all-natural there are no unwanted side effects and you should start noticing benefits shortly after you begin taking it. 

 

...and remember, qualified nutritionists at Healthy Being are available to offer further general advice to help guide you in selecting the right products. So please, feel free to contact us at any time!

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Shannon Clark is a qualified nutritionist and a regular contributor to HB Insights. She specialises in weight control and management as well as optimal fitness performance. She's devoted to helping readers obtain their own personal best health and fitness and stays on top the latest trends in the industry.