Those suffering from arthritis experience the pain caused when joints become inflamed. Whether this is due to physical activity, diet, or a number of other factors, a common solution is to find foods and supplements that can help.
At GLX3, we’ve put together an amazing supplement aimed to help reduce joint pain and inflammation and get you back to doing the activities you love. If you follow our blog, you are probably familiar with the benefits of New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels. Today we’re going to shine the light on one of the other ingredients we use. Any guesses? Hint: There are only three.
We’re talking about New Zealand Olive Oil. Any familiar with a Mediterranean diet have likely heard all about why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great thing for your health. For those with arthritis, the list of perks is even longer than it is for most people. Let’s take a look at the benefits of New Zealand Olive Oil and why we choose to include it as one of our ‘Big 3.’
Why is Olive Oil Healthy?
When first beginning research on the health benefits of New Zealand Olive Oil, it almost seems too good to be true. Something so delicious, so high in fat, can’t actually be good for you, can it?
Olive oil is rich in oleocanthal, the compound that helps it to fight joint pain and inflammation. Studies have shown that 3.5 TBSP of olive oil is about the equivalent of 200-mg of Ibuprofen when it comes to offsetting joint pain and inflammation. Contrast this with many western diets high in high fructose corn syrup and corn oil, animal fats, fried food.
Where high amounts of these foods clog arteries and restrict blood flow, olive oil keeps the blood flowing smoothly throughout the body.
GLX3 is proud to feature New Zealand Olive Oil as one of the three natural ingredients in our supplement. In addition to the benefits of the Green Lipped Mussels, we aim to help our customers add more beneficial olive oil into their daily routines.
Extra virgin olive oil is also free of cholesterol, which helps to reduce the risk of heart disease. This means that as you help to reduce joint pain and inflammation with GLX3, you’re also improving heart health. Two birds with one stone!
New Zealand Olive Oil offers the benefit of being grown in the same general region as the Green Lipped Mussels we use in our supplement.
As an antioxidant, New Zealand Olive Oil works alongside the Omega-3 fatty acids in the Green Lipped Mussels to offset free radicals in the body, helping both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms stay in check.
Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is The Healthiest Fat on Earth
Extra-virgin olive oil is made of pure and cold-pressed olives, by simply crushing olives and extracting the juice. The oil is tested to ensure it meets international Extra Virgin Olive Oil standards and blended to achieve the best possible, well-balanced flavors.
Virgin oil is “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” only if it is made entirely by mechanical means without using any solvents, and within controlled temperatures that do not degrade the oil.
Olive oil is one of the most important ingredients of “Mediterranean diet” and helps in reducing cardiovascular disease and certain categories of cancerous diseases. Health and nutritional value of virgin olive oil is attributed to the huge proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (mainly oleic, 55-83 percent).
The oil also contains important unsaponifiable compounds that include triterpene and aliphatic alcohols, hydrocarbons (squalene), sterols (mainly β-sitosterol), volatile compounds, tocopherols (α-tocopherol), pigments (carotenoids and carotenoids) and antioxidants.
All of these important compounds add up to one healthy ingredient in GLX3!
Why does GLX3 use New Zealand’s Olive Oil instead of artificial fillers?
According to a recent study, New Zealand’s Olive oil carries the highest levels of antioxidants and retains full flavor and color. Oils which have red ‘Olives New Zealand’ certification label have standards much higher than the International Olive Oil Council. One more reason for the New Zealand Olive oil to be the best is its freshness.
If you were to take a spoonful of the olive oil we use and place it on your tongue, you’d likely notice a peppery sensation in the mouth. This is a sign of plentiful nutrients found in healthy and fresh extra virgin olive oil. Secondary pressings and heat-extracted olive oils are not so good in quality, resulting in an inferior product.
What Makes New Zealand Olive Oil Great
This is where it gets really good. New Zealand Olive Oil is about as healthy a fat as you’ll find. The high antioxidant levels and mono-unsaturated fats in olive oil (especially the extra virgin olive oil) safeguards against dementia, heart disease, and high blood pressure. These active substances also minimize risks associated with strokes, blood clots, and type 2 diabetes.
Extra virgin olive oil does not have any harmful/bad cholesterol. This helps to minimize the risk of heart disease, and EVOO also contains the highest number of nutritional goodies like vitamins K and E, apart from the antioxidants. This reduces risks of variety of malignancy (prostate, breast, colon, stomach, ovarian and endometrium), rheumatoid arthritis, gallstones, ulcers, and better metabolism in diabetics.
A myriad of beneficial items is found in EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). These are antioxidants like oleocanthal, oleuropein, beta-sitoserol, tyrosol that protects LDL cholesterol from oxidation. Other compounds include squalene (antioxidant) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E component).
The combination of these compounds scavenges free radicals which result in deleterious oxidation to many body systems. These compounds also release certain enzymes in the body that further minimize oxidation. The flavonoid compounds found within the olive oil phenolic fraction have a strong influence on the antioxidant activity.
The amount of oleocanthal in 3.4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil has an effect which is similar to ten percent of the adult ibuprofen dose for pain relief. Some substances in olive oil can minimize expression of genes and proteins that arbitrate inflammation
New Zealand’s Extra virgin olive oil offers protection against heart disease by reducing inflammation, LDL cholesterol (Olive oil protects LDL particles from oxidative destruction), and Improving endothelial function – Improvement in function of the endothelium – the lining of the blood vessels. Olive oil also prevents unwanted blood clotting and can lower blood pressure: Olive oil cuts the need for blood pressure meds by 48%.
Benefits of New Zealand Olive Oil for the brain
The fatty acids in the olive oil have been shown to help brain function. The omega-3 fatty acids help the memory and can lower the risk of dementia. By increasing the levels of autophagy, the brain can work more efficiently and optimize the proteins flowing into it. Inflammation in the brain is reduced, as well.
When the proper blood flow isn’t the brain, a stoke is the result. The monounsaturated fats in extra virgin olive oil have been shown to help prevent this from happening, lowering the risk of stroke in elderly citizens.
Benefits of New Zealand Olive Oil for pain relief
If you have morning soreness of stiffness as a result of arthritis, olive oil can help to act as a pain reliever. We noted earlier its comparison to Ibuprofin, and the same is true for pain relief as is for inflammation.
This results from the fact that olive oil contains anti-nociceptive properties, which blocks off the pain from reaching the brain. How’s that for a magical treatment?
You’d be hard-pressed to find a supplement which optimizes the benefits of Omega-3s more-so than GLX3. According to studies, the Omega-3 fatty acids in olive oil can also help to offset pain. If you’ve been wanting to find a more natural way to ease arthritis pain than constantly taking pain pills, the benefits of New Zealand Olive Oil found is GLX3 is a great option.
A triple threat for the win
When combined with New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels and the uber-benefits of Vitamin E oil, GLX3 is a triple threat to combat your rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.
But it isn’t just for arthritis patients – olive oil offers health benefits to citizens around the world every day. We’re proud to be a part of the solution, and hope that you’ll join us in offsetting joint pain and inflammation. After all, life is more enjoyable when we can get back to doing the things we love!