Doctors have long been touting the benefits of the Mediterannean diet, which emphasizes the high consumption of olive oil, among other things.
Researchers at the University of Indonesia recently tested pills made from olive tree leaves and found them to be as effective as prescription drugs in treating heart disease and high blood pressure, according to a study published in the journal Phytomedicine.
They recruited 180 patients and split them into two groups. For eight weeks one group received a traditional prescription medicine called captopril and the other group received olive leaf pills.
The results were a drop in systolic blood pressure by an average of 11.5 points in the olive leaf group and 13.7 in the captopril patients. Diastolic blood pressure fell 4.8 points in the olive leaf volunteers and 6.4 points in those on the prescription medicine.
Those treated with olive pills also saw a significant reduction in levels of triglycerides – which are linked to a hardening of the arteries.
“The leaves of the olive tree have been used since ancient times to combat high blood pressure, atherosclerosis [blocked arteries] and diabetes,” said researcher Professor Endang Susalit.
“The anti-hypertensive activity of the extract was comparable to captopril, and its beneficial effects in reducing triglyceride levels were strongly indicated.”
Doctors cautioned that the findings will need to be replicated in larger studies before olive pills can be widely used.