THE OLIVE: A HEALTH-GIVING PLANT
arah
THE OLIVE: A HEALTH-GIVING PLANT
http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/food_03.html
One of the foods to which attention is drawn in the Qur'an is the
olive. Research in recent years has revealed that the olive is not
just a delicious food but also represents an important source of good
health. In addition to the olive itself, olive oil is also an
important source of nutrition. Attention is drawn to the oil of the
olive tree in these terms in the Qur'an:
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The metaphor of His
Light is that of a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp inside a glass,
the glass like a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive,
neither of the east nor of the west, its oil all but giving off light
even if no fire touches it. Light upon Light. Allah guides to His
Light whoever He wills and Allah makes metaphors for mankind and Allah
has knowledge of all things. (Qur'an, 24:35)
The expression "mubarakatin zaytoonatin" in the above verse describes
the olive as being "plentiful, sacred, auspicious, providing countless
blessings." Olive oil, referred to in the term "zaytuha," is known as
one of the most highly recommended types of oil by all experts,
especially for coronary and arterial health. Its health benefits may
be summarised as follows:
Benefits for Coronary and Arterial Health:
Most of the fatty acids in olives and olive oil are mono-unsaturated.
Mono-unsaturated fatty acids do not contain cholesterol. Therefore,
olive oil does not raise cholesterol levels but instead keeps them
under control. Olive oil also contains omega-6 linoleic acid (EFA:
essential fatty acid), which is essential for the human body. Due to
this feature, health-related bodies (such as The World Health
Organization) recommend that at least 30% of the fatty acid consumed
in societies in which hardened artery and diabetes levels are high
should consist of omega-6. This increases the importance of the olive
still further.127
And by it He makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and grapes
and fruit of every kind. There is certainly a Sign in that
for people who reflect.
(Qur’an, 16:11)
Studies in this area have revealed much lower LDL (bad cholesterol)
and higher antioxidant levels in people who consume 25 millilitres
(about two dessertspoonfuls) of natural olive oil a day for one week.
128 Antioxidants are important as they neutralise the harmful
substances in the body known as free radicals and prevent cell damage.
It has also been established in a great many studies that the
consumption of olive oil reduces cholesterol levels and prevents heart
disease.129
Olive oil is also recommended for patients with heart and artery
disease since it reduces the level of harmful cholesterol (LDL) in the
bloodstream and raises that of useful cholesterol (HDL).130 In
countries with high occurrences of heart and artery diseases,
saturated fats with high cholesterol content are generally consumed.
In addition, olive oil does not disrupt the proportion of omega-6 to
that of omega-3. It is very important that omega-3 and omega-6 be
present in the body at specific levels because any imbalance in these
proportions can lead to progression in many diseases, especially those
of the heart and immune system and cancer.131 For all these reasons,
many people enjoy good health thanks to olive oil. The American Heart
Association suggests that in order to reduce the risk of heart disease
high mono-unsaturated fats can be an alternative to a 30% reduced fat
diet.132
Cancer Prevention
One study, published by The Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that
women who consume high levels of mono-unsaturated fat have a lower
risk of developing breast cancer.133 Another study by scientists at
the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
demonstrated that b-sitosterol, a fat found in vegetable oils such as
olive oil, helps prevent the formation of prostate cancer cells. The
researchers concluded that b-sitosterol strengthens the internal
communication system of the cell that issues the command for the cells
to divide and that cancer can thus be prevented before cell division
reaches an uncontrollable level.
A recent study by doctors at the University of Oxford has shown that
olive oil has a protective effect against intestinal cancer. The
doctors discovered that olive oil enters into a reaction with stomach
acid in order to prevent intestinal cancer from beginning. At the same
time, the University of Oxford researchers also established that olive
oil reduces the level of bile and raises that of DAO (the enzyme
diamine oxidase), thus protecting against abnormal cell growth and
cancer.134
Prevention of Arthritis
According to researchers' reports, people who consume large quantities
of olive oil and cooked vegetables can have a reduced risk of
rheumatic arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints.
Olive Oil Assists Bone Development
The vitamins E, A, D and K contained in olive oil are particularly
important from the point of view of assisting bone development in
adults and children, and in strengthening the bones by fixing calcium.
It is also recommended for the elderly as it is easily digested and
through its minerals, it assists with the use of vitamins in the body.
It also prevents calcium loss by stimulating bone mineralisation.135
Bones are the organism's mineral structure storehouses and an absence
of mineral accumulation in the bones can lead to serious complications
such as bone softening. Olive oil has a most beneficial effect on the
skeleton in this regard.
Prevention of Aging
Since the vitamins contained in olive oil have a cell renewing effect
they are also employed in the treatment of the elderly, as well as
nourishing and protecting the skin. As foodstuffs are transformed into
energy in our bodies, certain substances known as oxidants are formed.
With the high levels of anti-oxidants it contains, olive oil prevents
damage by harmful substances, renews our cells and delays aging in the
tissues and organs. Olive oil is also rich in vitamin E, which
suppresses the free radicals that destroy the cells in our bodies and
cause aging.
Contribution to Child Development
Due to the linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) contained in olives and
olive oil, these are a most healthy food for newborn babies and
growing children. A deficiency in linoleic acid leads to the emergence
of a retardation of development in babyhood and various skin
disorders.
Olive oil contains anti-oxidant elements that prevent the destructive
effects of harmful substances in our bodies, and fatty acids of great
importance to human health. These support the hormones and assist in
cell membrane formation.
Olive oil possesses a balanced polyunsaturated compound at a similar
level to that in human milk. Olive oil is a sufficient source of these
fatty acids, which cannot be obtained from the human body but which
are of the most essential importance to it. These factors make olive
oil very important for new-born babies.
Since it contributes to the natural development of the baby's brain
and nervous system before and after birth, olive oil is the only oil
recommended for mothers by experts. As well as containing similar
levels of linoleic acid to those of mother's milk, when olive oil is
added to fatless cow's milk, it becomes as natural a food source as
mother's milk itself.
Blood Pressure Reduction
One study published in the 27 March 2000 edition of Archives of
Internal Medicine once more stressed the beneficial effect of olive
oil on high blood pressure. Medicines to reduce high blood pressure
are also made from olive leaves.
Benefits for the Internal Organs
Whether consumed hot or cold, olive oil protects the stomach against
diseases such as gastritis and ulcers by reducing gastric acid levels.
136 In addition to this, by activating the bile, it makes it perfect.
It regulates the discharge of the gall bladder and reduces the risk of
bile stone formation.137 Moreover, thanks to the chloride it contains,
it also assists the functioning of the liver and thus helps the body
eliminate waste products. In addition, it also has a beneficial effect
on the brain arteries.138
On account of all these properties, olive oil has attracted
considerable expert attention in recent years.139 Some of the comments
made by experts are as follows:
Jean Carper, a prominent authority in the field of health and
nutrition, the CNN award-winning correspondent, columnist and author
of The Food Pharmacy and Food-Your Miracle Medicine:
New Italian research finds olive oil contains antioxidants... that
combat disease processes, including LDL cholesterol's ability to clog
arteries.
Pat Baird, a dietician and nutrition consultant:
I love the whole idea of olive oil's versatility... the more we know
about it, the more we learn about its great contribution to good
health.
Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, chairman of the Department of
Epidemiology, Harvard University School of Public Health:
American women might actually experience as much as a fifty percent
(50%) reduction in breast cancer risk if they consumed more olive oil
in place of saturated fats.
Olive oil has a protective effect against some types of malignant
tumors: prostate, breast, colon, squamous cell, and oesophageal.
D. Peck of the School of Medicine, University of Miami:
Olive oil has been shown to strengthen the immune system in mice...
Bruno Berra of the Institute of General Physiology and Biological
Chemistry, University of Milan:
… [T]he minor polar components of extra virgin olive oil increase
significantly the resistance of LDL to oxidation.
A.A. Rivellese, G. Riccardi and M. Mancini of the Institute of
Internal Medicine and Metabolic Diseases at Federico II University,
Naples:
Olive oil prevents insulin resistance and ensures better control of
the glucose in the blood.
Patrizia Galletti of the Second University of Naples, Faculty of
Medicine and Surgery:
Dietary intake of olive oil polyphenols may lower the risk of reactive
oxygen metabolite-mediated diseases such as some gastrointestinal
diseases and atherosclerosis. Olive oil hydroxytyrosol protects human
erythrocytes against oxidative damage.
Frank Sacks of the Harvard School of Public Health:
An olive-oil-rich diet is more effective than a low-fat diet in
controlling and treating obesity. Moreover, it leads to longer-lasting
weight loss and it is easier to keep to…
As we have seen, a great many scientists today think that an olive oil-
based diet constitutes the ideal nutritional model. It is stated that
on account of these properties, olives and olive oil should be the
fundamental constituents of every meal in one's daily nutrition
programme. The benefits of the olive plant, emphasised by Allah in
many verses of the Qur'an, have been discovered in parallel to the
advances made by medical science.
It is He Who sends down water from the sky. From it you drink and from
it come the shrubs among which you graze your herds. And by it He
makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and grapes and fruit of
every kind. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who reflect.
(Qur'an, 16:10-11)
The Cynic
> THE OLIVE: A HEALTH-GIVING PLANThttp://www.miraclesofthequran.com/food_03.html
>
> One of the foods to which attention is drawn in the Qur'an is the
> olive. Research in recent years has revealed that the olive is not
> just a delicious food but also represents an important source of good
> health. In addition to the olive itself, olive oil is also an
> important source of nutrition. Attention is drawn to the oil of the
> olive tree in these terms in the Qur'an:
What a dishonest person you are? The olive plant has been in existence
long before your religion came into existence and now you are claiming
it was your god who brought it into this world. Bloody liar!!!!
So from now on, you are selling olive oil in addition to snake oil?
Hee hee hee
charlie vietcong
n Dec 19, 12:01 pm, arah <arah1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> THE OLIVE: A HEALTH-GIVING PLANThttp://www.miraclesofthequran.com/food_03.html
> Dietary intake of ...
>
> read more »