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A Mediterranean diet rich in oily fresh fish, fruit and vegetables, pulses, nuts, wholegrains and olive oil is culturally associated with a long and healthy life. Studies into why those who follow Mediterranean eating habits tend to be less prone to cardiovascular disease have often centred around the health benefits of olive oil – but oil isn’t the only olive-based product with powerful heart health benefits.

Olive leaf extract derives from the leaves of the plant, rather than the fruit. It contains all of the beneficial elements of olive oil in greater concentrations.

After centuries of traditional use both as part of the Mediterranean diet and therapeutically, scientists have started to prove the benefits of extracts from the olive plant. Alongside a balanced diet and exercise routine, the naturally-occurring substances that make up olive leaf extract could be the key to maintaining healthy blood pressure.

As plant-based extracts rise in popularity, get your head around the real science behind this health trend. Read on to discover why olive leaf extract should be top of your list of essential cardiovascular supplements, thanks to its blood pressure benefits.

Cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular well-being is a high-priority health concern for many adults. With 38% of the world’s premature deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases according to 2020 WHO data, taking good care of our hearts and circulatory systems is more important than ever. Alongside dietary and lifestyle changes such as increasing exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, many of the heart health-conscious are curious about the benefits of supplements.

What is Olive Leaf Extract?

Olive leaf extract is a concentrate of the beneficial nutrients found in the leaves of the olive tree. It can be consumed in liquid or powder capsule form and is suitable for daily consumption.

Olive leaf extract is the perfect way to benefit from all the anti-oxidants and polyphenols associated with the olive plant in high doses that would be difficult to consume through olives or olive oil alone.

What is Oleuropein? 

Oleuropein is a polyphenolic compound with antioxidant properties, found in abundance in olive leaves. When present in olives themselves, it has a bitter taste – for this reason, it is usually removed from olive fruits before they are ready to eat. Including olives in your diet, therefore, will not provide you with oleuropein.

Olive leaf oleuropein has some surprising and powerful benefits for our cardiovascular health, as is supported by a range of clinical studies.

Olive leaf supplements contain a much higher concentration of polyphenols than olive oil – a daily dose of Olive Life™ contains the same amount of olive polyphenols as 50 tablespoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil.

Let’s explore the benefits of olive leaf extract’s high oleuropein content for heart and circulatory system health.

Blood Pressure and Oleuropein

Maintaining healthy blood pressure is essential to general heart health. When the blood pressure is too high, it puts increased strain on the heart muscle, causing it to lose strength. 

High blood pressure – known as hypertension – can also increase wear to the blood vessels and damage your organs.

It’s not always clear what causes a person to have high blood pressure, but a range of factors are known to contribute. These include obesity, high salt intake, lack of exercise, high alcohol or caffeine consumption and smoking. However, some people are naturally more prone to high blood pressure due to their age, ethnicity, or other genetic and environmental factors. 

As you age, it can be more difficult to keep blood pressure under control, even by making healthy lifestyle choices. Natural herbal remedies can be an attractive supplement to a balanced diet and regular exercise for maintaining healthy blood pressure and protecting the heart muscle, but it’s important to choose a product with proven results. 

Olive leaves have been used in traditional folk medicine as a treatment for mild to moderate hypertension for thousands of years. Recent scientific studies have confirmed their blood pressure-lowering effects, finding that the oleuropein they contain protects the hypothalamus from oxidative stress by improving mitochondrial function. 

This makes olive leaf extract a valuable strategy to both prevent and treat high blood pressure.

How to Get the Most from Olive Leaf Extract

Olive leaf extract’s myriad of blood pressure benefits make it an obvious choice of supplement for those looking to take extra care of their cardiovascular system.While no supplement is a miracle cure-all, olive leaf’s natural occurrence, long history as a traditional medicine, and recent scientific results paint an optimistic picture of its therapeutic and preventative potential.

To ensure you get the maximum effects from your olive leaf supplement, make sure to:

  • Observe the correct dosage – Olive leaf extract is safe to consume daily, as a supplement to a healthy and balanced diet. For optimal cardiovascular support, two capsules of 68mg of oleuropein is the recommended daily dose. This equates to 25ml of liquid product. You can take olive leaf extract at any time of the day, but it is recommended to take it alongside a meal. Seek medical advice before taking olive leaf extracts alongside other medications, and always follow the instructions on your product’s packaging.
  • Avoid overly-processed derivatives – Freshly harvested olive leaf offers the most potent products. Tests have proven that dried, preserved or reconstituted olive leaf products contain far less oleuropein and fewer protective compounds than fresh-picked options like Olive Life, which is traceable from the grove, entirely plant-based and non-GMO.
  • Choose the right product – High-quality, natural olive leaf extracts contain the most polyphenols and anti-oxidants. A single dose of Olive Life in capsule or liquid form contains 136mg of oleuropein, the antioxidant power of 7 x 500mg doses of vitamin C, and many additional flavonoids and olive polyphenols. When searching for a product that is naturally rich in oleuropein, observe the mg measurement, not the percentage – some products are artificially boosted using non-natural compounds to appear more oleuropein rich. 

Shop Olive Life capsules and liquids for an olive leaf extract supplement you can rely on. 

Discover more scientifically proven health benefits of supplementing your diet with olive leaf extract, from immune support to weight loss.

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