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According to a report in El Confidential, new evi­dence sug­gests that tak­ing olive oil on an empty stom­ach pro­vides addi­tional ben­e­fits to tak­ing it with food.

Consuming olive oil on an empty stom­ach reduces gas­tric acid­ity by form­ing a pro­tec­tive film, accord­ing to José Ramón Llorente, the pres­i­dent of the Spanish Society of Orthomolecular Nutrition and the National Association of Professionals and Freelancers of Natural Therapies. This helps with the absorp­tion of vit­a­mins and other nutri­ents and assists the work of sev­eral impor­tant organs.

“In pop­u­lar cul­ture, we have all heard about the ben­e­fits of olive oil, con­sumed espe­cially on an empty stom­ach. Today we can accom­pany this option with the results of stud­ies that cor­rob­o­rate it,” Ramón Llorente told El Confidential.

“For the diges­tive sys­tem and the liver, its con­sump­tion on an empty stom­ach reduces gas­tric acid­ity because it forms a film on the gas­tric wall,” he added. “[It also] improves the absorp­tion of nutri­ents – espe­cially cal­cium, mag­ne­sium, zinc and vit­a­mins – and opti­mizes the work of the liver, gall­blad­der and pan­creas.”

When con­sum­ing extra vir­gin olive oil on an empty stom­ach, it must be high qual­ity, mean­ing it will be richer in polyphe­nols and other nutri­ents.

Pharmacist and nutri­tion­ist Julieta de la Morena agreed that it is ben­e­fi­cial tak­ing olive oil on an empty stom­ach but added that con­sum­ing olive oil with other foods and cooked still pro­vides plenty of health ben­e­fits.

De la Morena said that the most impor­tant thing is to incor­po­rate olive oil con­sump­tion into a daily rou­tine.

The Mediterranean diet rec­om­mends adults con­sume at least four table­spoons per day. However, de la Morena said this should be lim­ited to two table­spoons a day for peo­ple try­ing to lose weight.

While Americans use far less olive oil per capita than peo­ple liv­ing in Mediterranean coun­tries, con­sum­ing only a small amount of olive oil is still ben­e­fi­cial.

In a study con­ducted over 24 years, researchers found that peo­ple who con­sumed at least a half-table­spoon of olive oil every day in place of less healthy fats reduced their risk of heart dis­ease by 14 per­cent.

• El Confidencíal
• Harvard Medical School