Olive Oil Protects Bowel Disorders

A new study finds that increasing your intake of olive oil may help protect against ulcerative colitis. 

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulcers in the lining of the rectum and colon, resulting in abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss. This study found that people whose diet was rich in oleic acid were far less likely to develop ulcerative colitis. 

Oleic acid is a monosaturated fatty acid found in foods such as olive oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, butter and some margarines. 

Oleic acid seems to help prevent the development of ulcerative colitis by blocking chemicals in the bowel that aggravate the inflammation found in the illness.

Study finds that half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect.