• Skip to main content
Search
  • Home
  • Services
      • Behavioral Health
      • Bloodless Medicine
      • Brain & Spine
      • Cancer Care
      • Ear, Nose and Throat
      • Emergency Care
      • Senior Health
      • Heart & Vascular Care
      • Home Health Care
      • Immediate Care
      • Medical Imaging
      • Minimally Invasive Surgery
      • Orthopedics
      • Pregnancy & Childbirth
      • Primary Care
      • Rehabilitation Services
      • Weight Loss Surgery
      • Wound Healing & Care
      • Women's Health
  • Doctors
      • Find a Primary Care Doctor
      • Find a Doctor
      • Physician Referral
      • Practices:

        Baptist Primary Care
      • Baptist AgeWell
      • Baptist Behavioral Health
      • Baptist Endocrinology
      • Baptist ENT Specialists
      • Baptist Heart Specialists
      • Baptist Infectious Diseases
      • Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Physicians
      • Baptist Neurology
      • Baptist Pediatrics
      • Baptist Pulmonary Specialists (Nassau)
      • Baptist Rheumatology
      • Baptist Urology Group (Nassau)
      • Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute
      • Lyerly Neurosurgery
  • Locations
    • Our Hospitals:

      • Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville
      • Baptist Medical Center South
      • Baptist Medical Center Beaches
      • Baptist Medical Center Nassau
      • Baptist Heart Hospital
      • Wolfson Children's Hospital

      Emergency Rooms (ER):

      • All ER Locations

      Imaging:

      • By Location

      • Imaging Center Locations
      • By Service

      • MRI
      • Bone Density
      • Screening Mammography
      • Diagnostic Mammography
      • Ultrasound
      • Vascular Ultrasound
      • CT Scan
      • PET Scan
      • Nuclear Medicine
      • X-Ray

      Urgent Care Locations:

      • Baptist Health Clinics at Walgreens
      • CareSpot Urgent Care

      Outpatient Locations:

      • AgeWell Center for Senior Health
      • Baptist Clay Medical Campus
      • Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center
      • Baptist Neurodiagnostic Center
      • Baptist North Medical Campus
      • Heart and Vascular Testing Centers
      • Hill Breast Center
      • Infusion Center
      • Pharmacy
      • Rehabilitation Centers
      • Robotic Spine Surgery
      • Sleep Centers
      • Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center
      • Surgery Centers
      • Wound Care

      Health & Wellness:

      • 4her Wellness Resources for Women
      • JCA Wellness Connexion
      • Y Healthy Living Centers
  • Patient Info
      • Billing & Insurance Information
      • Insurance Plans Accepted
      • Cost Estimate Request
      • Financial Assistance Program
      • My Baptist Connect (Patient Portal)
      • Medical Records
      • Classes and Events
      • Clinical Trials
      • Tell Us What You Think
  • Health Library
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Symptoms
      • Tests
      • Surgeries and Procedures
      • Injuries
      • Nutrition
      • Poison
      • Drug Information
      • Drug Images
      • Health News
      • Video Library
  • About Us
      • Administration
      • Awards & Honors
      • Careers
      • Provider Opportunities
      • Baptist MD Anderson Provider Opportunities
      • Spiritual Care
      • Social Responsibility
      • Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
      • Corporate Wellness (PATH)
      • Volunteering
      • Newsroom
  • Juice
      • Health News Overview:

      • Aging Well
      • Brain, Spine & Nerve
      • Cancer
      • Child Health
      • Community Health
      • Diabetes
      • Ear, Nose & Throat
      • Heart & Vascular
      • Lungs, Breathing & Sleep
      • Mental Health
      • Orthopedics, Bones & Muscles
      • Pregnancy & Childbirth
      • Primary Care
      • Wellness
      • Women's Health
      • Men's Health
  1. Home
  2. Health Library
  3. Health News
  4. Could Olive Oil Help Keep Stroke at Bay for Obese Americans?

Could Olive Oil Help Keep Stroke at Bay for Obese Americans?

THURSDAY, March 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- If you're obese and you want to do your heart a favor, try adding some olive oil to your diet.

So suggests new research, which found that healthy but severely obese patients who ate olive oil at least once a week had lower platelet activation. That means their blood showed less propensity toward forming clots -- which might help lower their risk of heart attack or stroke.

But the findings do not prove that olive oil is the reason for the benefit.

"This is an observational study. It doesn't show cause and effect," said lead researcher Dr. Sean Heffron, a preventive cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

But, he added, there was no evidence that other diet components -- such as red meat, butter, or fruits and vegetables -- were related to patients' platelet activity. Neither were exercise habits.

So that raises the possibility that olive oil, itself, has anti-clotting effects, according to Heffron.

The study is to be presented Thursday at a meeting of the American Heart Association, in Houston. Findings reported at meetings are generally considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Olive oil is a staple of the classic Mediterranean diet -- which, based on numerous studies, can help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. According to Heffron, the new findings may shed light on one reason why.

Connie Diekman is director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. She said the findings add to evidence that olive oil can be part of heart-friendly diet -- but it's too early to say it has specific benefits on blood clotting.

"So many variables impact our health," said Diekman, who wasn't involved with the research, "and this study is one piece of the bigger answer on what we should do to eat a healthful diet."

The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, included 63 healthy adults who were severely obese -- with an average body mass index (BMI) of 44 (obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or higher). They completed questionnaires on their diet and lifestyle habits.

Heffron and colleagues used blood samples to study how each person's platelets responded to an "agonist" -- a substance that can promote clotting.

They found that compared with other study participants, those who consumed olive oil at least once a week showed less platelet activation. And the more olive oil people ate, the less prone their blood cells were to clumping together.

The fact that all of the study participants were substantially overweight is important, according to Heffron. The findings suggest that healthy eating habits may have benefits that cannot be seen -- regardless of weight, he said.

On the other hand, Diekman said, it's not clear whether the findings would translate to people with lower weights, since there may be metabolic differences.

No one is calling olive oil a magic bullet, either.

"Just adding a tablespoon of olive oil to what you're already eating probably isn't wise," Heffron said. "But replacing animal fat or carbohydrates with olive oil may be."

Diekman also stressed the importance of overall diet.

"I would encourage people to use this study as one more reminder that plant fats are more healthful than animal fats -- but that our whole diet is the key to our health," Diekman said.

Besides eating more plant-based fats, she recommended getting plenty of fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, and "lean" sources of protein.

More information

The American Heart Association has advice on heart-healthy eating.

SOURCES: Sean Heffron, M.D., M.Sc., preventive cardiologist, and assistant professor, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; Connie Diekman, R.D., M.Ed., director, university nutrition, Washington University in St. Louis; March 7, 2019, presentation, American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions, Houston

Daily Health and Medical News

  • Babies May 'See' Light While in the Womb
    December 03, 2019

  • Uncontrolled Asthma a Danger to Pregnant Women, Babies
    December 03, 2019

  • Are E-Scooters a Quick Ticket to the ER?
    December 03, 2019

  • Taking Several Prescription Drugs May Trigger Serious Side Effects
    December 03, 2019

  • AHA News: Vegan Diet May Decrease Heart Disease, Stroke Risk in African Americans
    December 03, 2019

© Copyright 2019 | All Rights Reserved

If you speak another language, assistance services
free of charge, are available to you.

Baptist Health Facebook Baptist Health Twitter Baptist Health on LinkedIn Baptist Health on Instagram Baptist Health on Youtube
Physician Login | Application Login | Employee Login
Quality Measures | Privacy | Non-Discrimination | Comments | Site Map