We all know that olive oil is good for our health as is eating fish on a regular basis, but now there’s new research showing that consuming them together has remarkable effects on our cholesterol and ups our free radical fighting power – read cancer-fighter in a meal.
Extra-virgin olive oil and fish alone have powerful nutritive benefits, both having cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant effects, however, researchers from the University of Londrina in Parana, Brazil found that fish oil combined with extra-virgin olive oil worked together to significantly lower cholesterol in patients with metabolic syndrome when compared to fish oil or olive oil alone.
The fish/olive oil combo also acted to decrease markers of oxidative stress and up the antioxidant activity more than fish oil, marking the two oils powerful against free radicals when consumed together.
Some easy ways to incorporate this research in our daily lives is simply to cook your fish in olive oil, finish your cooked fish with a nice drizzle of high quality extra-virgin olive oil or poach a fillet of your favorite fish in an olive oil bath. Whichever way you choose to mix the two, you’ll be elevating the flavour of your meal along with protecting yourself from disease with good nutrition through good food.
Source: Venturini, D et al. Journal of Nutrition, 2015.
