Does olive oil help dogs lose weight

Olive oil for weight loss

Small yet mighty, olives are a fruit rich in excellent nutrients. They feature on many Mediterranean menus and have long been lauded for their health benefits. What about using olive oil for weight loss, though?

How does olive oil help promote weight loss?

You might read oil and instantly think of unhealthy, fried foods. Nevertheless, some types of oil can actually be healthy for you! Olive oil, which is extracted from the fruit of olive trees, is definitely one of these and its been consumed for thousands of years in countries like Italy and Greece.

Olives chemical make-up and natural abundance of specific nutrients are all thought to contribute to the fruits weight-loss powers. Like the sound of shrinking your waistline with olives? Heres a little science behind the claim.

Olive oil contains healthy fat

Just like omega 3 fatty acids can benefit the body, so too can healthy monosaturated fats. Olive oil is rich in this type of fat, specifically oleic acid which has long been studied for its useful properties.¹

Unlike saturated fat (e.g. animal fats or palm oil), monosaturated fats could help lower cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease, and make it easier to maintain a healthy weight.²

Olive oil is a source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs)

MCTs have been thoroughly researched for their weight loss benefits, specifically for their ability to be broken down and transferred quickly into energy. Some studies have shown that MCTs can aid with weight loss by encouraging fat burning in the body and by stimulating the production of certain hormones which can suppress the appetite.

Olive oil is packed with antioxidants

Antioxidants are molecules which can aid the body in fighting off free radicals: compounds that harm your cells.⁴ Olives are rich in antioxidants, notably polyphenols. These are thought to help with healthy digestion and, consequently, allow the body to more efficiently transfer food into energy which you can then burn off.⁵

Olive oil has anti-inflammatory properties

Chronic inflammation has been linked to several different health conditions, including obesity. Olive oil may help bring down inflammation thanks to its oleic acid content and antioxidants such as oleocanthal.⁶

How to make use of olive oil for weight loss

As well as possibly helping you maintain a healthy weight, olive oil has a delicious taste and is excellent at enhancing plainer ingredients! If youre searching for easy ways to include more of this outstanding oil in your diet, why not:

• Use it to create tasty salad dressings, whether thats a simple balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette or a French mustard dressing
• Stir some into a bowl of wholemeal pasta with grilled vegetables and dried/fresh herbs
• Drizzle your veggies with it before you roast or grill them in the oven
• Add a little to your homemade houmous to add flavour and improve the overall texture
• Make vegan pesto with olive oil, nuts, lemon juice, and fresh basil

Just like any food, its always best to enjoy olive oil in moderation. Having too much of anything, however beneficial it is, could quickly become unhealthy. Olive oil, in particular, is relatively high in both fat and calories, so it should only be eaten in small quantities.⁷

Discover plenty of high-quality olive oils from the best organic brands over on our cooking oils page. For even more food products to promote healthy weight loss, shop our full slimming range.

Does Olive Oil Promote Weight Loss?

Olive oil is made by grinding olives and extracting the oil, which many people enjoy cooking with, drizzling on pizza, pasta, and salad, or using as a dip for bread.

Some of the most well-known benefits of consuming olive oil include its ability to reduce inflammation, support heart health, and lower blood pressure. It may even have potential anticancer effects and protect brain health (1, 2, 3, 4).

This article reviews whether olive oil can be used to promote weight loss.

Many of olive oils benefits have been observed in the context of following a Mediterranean diet.

This eating pattern is characterized by a high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, legumes, nuts, and seeds. While the diet often incorporates fish, the main fat source is olive oil, and it also limits red meat and sweets (5, 6, 7).

Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which have one unsaturated carbon bond in their chemical composition. MUFAs are typically liquid at room temperature.

One older 4-week study found men with overweight or obesity who replaced saturated fat with monounsaturated fats in their diets experienced small but significant weight loss, compared with a saturated-fat-rich diet, despite no major change in total fat or calorie intake (8).

More recent research agrees that unsaturated fatty acids are likely more beneficial than saturated fats when it comes to healthy weight maintenance (9).

Diets rich in monounsaturated fats have also been shown to prevent weight gain and the accumulation of fat in animal studies (10, 11).

Furthermore, olive oil is a rich source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which have been long studied for their ability to play a role in healthy weight loss and maintenance (12, 13, 14).

MCTs are triglycerides that contain fatty acids comprising 612 carbon atoms. Theyre broken down quickly and absorbed by your liver, where they can be used for energy.

While some studies have found a positive effect of MCTs on weight loss, others have found no effect.

Still, one study compared MCTs with long-chain triglycerides, finding that MCTs resulted in greater production of certain appetite-regulating hormones like peptide YY, which promotes feelings of fullness (15).

Other research indicates that MCTs may encourage weight loss by increasing calorie- and fat-burning in the body (16, 17).

SUMMARY

Olive oil is a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides, both of which have been shown to offer potential benefits when included in weight loss diets.

Olive oil may be useful for weight loss, but it appears to be most beneficial when used in certain ways and amounts.

While some people claim that olive oil massages could help promote weight loss, theres no research to support this idea. That said, studies have found that such massages can help preterm babies gain weight (18).

Another popular claim is that a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice can promote rapid weight loss. However, this is likely because its often used as a cleanse that usually results in very low calorie intake and consequently both fat and muscle loss (19).

Still, olive oil incorporated into an overall healthy diet is a different story.

There are 119 calories and 13.5 grams of fat in 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of olive oil. This can quickly add up on a calorie-restricted diet, so its best to incorporate olive oil in limited quantities as not to promote weight gain (20).

One systematic review of 11 randomized controlled studies found that following an olive-oil-enriched diet for at least 12 weeks reduced weight more than following a control diet (21).

Olive oil can be used as a salad dressing, mixed into pasta or soups, drizzled onto pizza or vegetables, or incorporated into baked goods.

SUMMARY

While olive oil can be beneficial for weight loss when consumed in limited quantities, steer clear of claims that olive oil massages and detoxes are a long-term solution.

Olive oil is a healthy source of monounsaturated fats and medium-chain triglycerides, both of which have been shown to offer potential benefits for weight loss.

While there are claims that olive oil can be used as a massage oil or for a detox, the most effective way to use olive oil for weight loss is to incorporate it into your overall healthy diet as a primary fat source.

Keep in mind that a small serving of olive oil can contribute a significant number of calories and amount of fat to your diet. As such, it should be used in limited quantities. Olive oil used as part of a plant-based diet like the Mediterranean diet may offer the greatest benefit long term.

Can Dogs Have Olive Oil? 5 Benefits of Olive Oil for Dogs

Olive oil is a natural oil extracted from olives, the fruit of the olive tree. It has long been revered as a superfood for humans, but what benefits can it offer dogs? Lets take a look.

1. May Improve Skin and Coat Health

Olive oil is rich in nutrients that play a crucial role in maintaining a dogs skin and fur health. These include vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols.

Dr. Christopher Reeder, DVM, veterinary dermatologist at Lighthouse Veterinary Allergy and Dermatology in Spring Hill, TN, has seen a noticeable increase in luster and shine in the coats of dogs whose diets were supplemented with olive oil. It takes about 30 days to see a difference, he says.

However, applying olive oil directly to a dogs coat or skin is not recommended. Most dogs will try to lick off every last drop, which would negate any topical benefits and could cause further skin irritation due to all the licking.

2. May Reduce Itching from Allergies

Many dogs are allergic to substances like pollen, dust and flea saliva. These allergic reactions can make a dogs skin inflamed and itchy.

Olive oil is primarily made up of a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. This healthy fat has anti-inflammatory properties that may help ease the itching caused by allergies, says Dr. Reeder.

3. May Support Digestive Health

Due to its natural laxative properties, olive oil, in modest portions, may help dogs struggling with constipation. Its important to integrate the oil slowly into your dogs diet and closely monitor their response. If diarrhea, vomiting or other gastrointestinal issues arise, discontinue giving your dog olive oil.

4. May Support Weight Management

The monounsaturated fats in olive oil can help break down the fat inside fat cells. This may help your dog lose weight or reduce the risk of obesity. The key is to find that sweet spot where your dog reaps this benefit without adding too many extra calories to their diet. See below for serving size suggestions.

5. May Enhance Disease Prevention

While not a panacea, olive oil may help your beloved dog stay by your side a bit longer. Antioxidants like vitamin E may help protect dogs cells from free radical damage, potentially reducing the risk of diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Olive oil also contains chemicals that have been shown to help prevent cognitive decline in humans, says Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM, a holistic veterinarian and author in Zebulon, NC.

Its currently unknown if and how much these benefits apply to dogs, but theres no harm in adding it to your dogs diet in moderate amounts, says Dr. Morgan.

Olive Oil Is the Next Weight Loss EVOOlution

You likely reach for that bottle of olive oil without a second thought when youre whipping up something delish. But have you ever considered what olive oil does for weight loss and your overall health?

Olive oil is most known for its ability to lower blood pressure, support heart health, and reduce inflammation. A research review even suggested that it might even have anticancer effects.

So, alongside all of these healthful benefits, if youre on a weight loss journey, olive oil may help with losing weight.

Monounsaturated fatty acids help maintain

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). A 2013 research review suggested that unsaturated fats, like MUFAs, are more beneficial to maintaining a healthy weight than their saturated fat counterparts.

A study with animals showed that a diet rich in monounsaturated fats helps prevent weight gain and fat accumulation.

Medium-chain triglycerides help fat burning

Olive oil is also a great source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that break down quickly and get absorbed by your liver, which uses them for energy.

A research review showed that MCTs play an important role in helping people maintain a healthy weight. One study even found that MCTs helped produce higher levels of appetite-regulating hormones like peptide YY than long-chain triglycerides, helping participants feel fuller longer.

The same study above also concluded that MCTs may help increase your bodys fat and calorie burning abilities.

Mediterranean diet = balanced diet

The Mediterranean diet is a great example of olive oils benefits in action.

This delicious diet relies on high amounts of fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and potatoes. The main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet is olive oil, but fish is also often found in these dishes.

Red meat and sweet treats are limited (though not excluded!) from this eating style.

And because your diet shouldnt cause you unnecessary stress, one study with animals suggested that the Mediterranean diet may also help reduce stress in non-human primates. While we still need some human studies too, this still shows that there may be benefits to the diet beyond nutrition.

OK, so there are some folks who claim that an olive oil rubdown can help you lose weight. But these claims are purely anecdotal, and theres no actual research to support them.

One study found that olive oil massages can promote weight gain in preterm babies.

But the jury is still out on this so just stick to consuming your olive oil.

Used as a popular cleanse method, some believe that mixing olive oil and lemon juice as a beverage can put you on a fast track to weight loss.

But while cleanses may seem like fast fixes, theyre not all theyre cracked up to be.

Liquid cleanse results are temporary and can cause you to take in very few calories. This can result in not only in fat loss, but also in muscle loss, according to a research review. So, while you can lose weight this way, its not healthy or sustainable.

Your best bet: Dont rely on short-term (and potentially harmful) solutions like liquid detoxes. But theres no harm in mixing lemon juice and olive oil for a healthy salad dressing.

Olive oil is most effective for weight loss when incorporated into your overall diet. In fact, a 2010 study comparing an olive oil-enriched diet to a standard low fat diet found that participants on the olive-oil diet lost more weight.

So, how much should you be using each day?

Its important to first understand that 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of olive oil contains 119 calories and 14 grams of fat, which can quickly add up.

Try to keep your olive oil intake limited to a few tablespoons. That means that just drinking olive oil for weight loss isnt the best idea.

Among its many health benefits, like lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation, olive oil can also play a role in healthy weight loss.

The most effective way to use olive oil to shed pounds is to incorporate it into your overall diet. Think the popular Mediterranean diet, which uses olive oil as its main source of (healthy!) fat.

Its important to be wary of quick fixes when it comes to using olive oil for weight loss. Claims that it can quickly erase pounds as a massage oil or in a cleanse wont give you healthy, long-lasting results.