Olive oil helps prevent type II diabetes

The health benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet have long been known. But now one of its main components has been discovered to play an important role in protecting the body against type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the Italian Diabetology Society at Federico II University in Naples have found that olive oil reduces by a third the build-up of fat in the liver due to its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids. There is a close relationship between fatty liver disease and the development or presence of type 2 diabetes, by far the most common type with three million diagnosed sufferers in Italy alone. The researchers say it is sufficient to eat a diet rich in olive oil and other products containing high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids for just eight weeks to see a reduction in liver fat.