For centuries, the priceless polyphenols found in olive oil have been celebrated for their long list of health-protective benefits.
But can olive oil polyphenols be used to enhance performance?
Let’s find out.
While every athlete is unique, they all have something in common: They want to improve their performance and function their best every day.
Unfortunately, many athletes are lured to the dark side of the fitness industry and end up resorting to unhealthy and often dangerous performance enhancing substances.
In fact, some of these performance enhancers can be deadly when used in excess and without medical supervision, like anabolic steroids.
The good news for athletes is that you don’t need to resort to life-threatening performance enhancing drugs to level-up your game.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
The biggest problem is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not test or approve performance supplements for athletic and exercise purposes.
It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure supplement safety and efficacy, while delivering truthful, honest labels that are not misleading.
While the FDA can remove a supplement from the market if it’s found to be unsafe, many dietary supplements for exercise and athletic performance continue to cause side effects and can even interact with over the counter and prescription medication.
The problem is that the interactions between different ingredients still haven’t been tested.
The FDA do their best by warning that certain products marketed as dietary supplements may be inappropriately labelled.
These can contain unlawful stimulants, controlled substances, hormone-like ingredients, prescription medication, or even unapproved drugs altogether.
The problem comes in when fraudulent and adulterated products like these cause health problems in athletes. If detected in their bloodstream, they can even see athletes disqualified from competitions entirely.
Thankfully, there is a more sensible and safe way to improve your athletic performance. As with anything in life, “everything in moderation” is a prime philosophy.
It’s crucial to eat a proper diet, stay hydrated, remain physically fit, and be trained properly.
The harsh reality is that few to zero dietary supplements have sufficient scientific evidence to support they claims of being able to enhance athletic performance.
However, the good news is that you might not need to look much further than your kitchen cupboard.
Regular olive oil cannot be compared to its extra virgin counterpart.
There’s a reason why the latter is so much more expensive.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is made by cold-pressing fresh olives of the purest variety.
The olives are ground into a paste and pressed to extract the oil. The absence of heat ensures that the intrinsic nutrition is not lost.
So, how does this relate to your performance as an athlete?
The secret lies in a little something called polyphenols, which offer a seemingly infinite list of health-protective benefits. From antimicrobial to antioxidant to anti-inflammatory, there’s no shortage of reasons to add EVOO to your diet – but ESPECIALLY if you’re an athlete.
Most notably, polyphenols increase the bioavailability of something called Nitric Oxide (NC).
This signaling molecule is involved in various physiological processes, and may initiate certain physiological effects that result in enhanced athletic performance.
EVOO delivers an energy boost by providing athletes with natural, essential fats, primarily unsaturated fats – a key phrase in the athlete’s dictionary.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is mostly made up of monounsaturated fatty acids in the form of oleic acid. You’ll also find a few polyunsaturated fats like linoleic acid, along with unsaturated fats.
It's no secret that energy is the number one necessity no athlete can be without.
But why is fat so important?
Essentially, fat is the body’s #1 source of fuel during extended, low-intensity activities such as marathons and triathlons.
However, fat is also crucial for sports of a higher intensity too. While many athletes turn to carbohydrates as their main source of energy and fuel, the energy sourced from these carbs cannot be released without fat in play.
Another bonus is that EVOO is incredibly rich in antioxidants.
Not only does this give the olive oil its distinct taste and unique flavor, but antioxidants also help athletes reduce muscle damage, muscle fatigue, and immune dysfunction.
These are just a few of the powerful ways to naturally improve athletic performance.
It’s no coincidence that EVOO shares the same birthplace as the Olympic games.
There’s an ancient Greek saying that goes, “Νοῦς ὑγιής ἐν σώματι ὑγιεῖ”. This directly translates to “a healthy mind in a health body”.
The winners of the first ever Olympic Games in 776BC were crowned with the branches of sacred olive trees, not to mention gifted with lavishly decorated amphoras filled with the precious liquid gold.
These same ancient athletes also applied olive oil to their skin pre-competition, in the hopes of protecting their muscles and boosting athletic performance.
Thousands of years later, athletes around the world still turn to olive oil as a natural performance enhancement staple.
Some of the smartest athletes on the planet follow the Mediterranean diet, which is hailed to be one of the healthiest ways of eating in the world – and EVOO is a crucial part of the Mediterranean lifestyle.
The way polyphenols work to improve athletic performance is much more subtle than adulterated dietary supplements full of little more than empty promises.
Polyphenols have been shown to lower cholesterol levels, strengthen the heart, build stronger bones, and much more.
Vitamin E is a shining star in the sports & fitness industry, and it’s not hard to see why.
Numerous studies show that Vitamin E can prevent oxidative damage caused by exercise in the first place. And the good news is that Vitamin E occurs naturally in high-quality olive oil.
Vitamin E – a fat-soluble compound – is a staple in the diets of athletes worldwide.
It may strengthen the immune system, act as an antioxidant, protect the body against free radicals released during exercise, and much more.
Vitamin E may also help prevent illness, preventing lost training time to boot.
The recommended daily intake for Vitamin E is between 4mg and 15mg, and a single tablespoon of high-quality olive oil can provide almost 2mg.
When searching for olive oil to boost athletic performance, it’s crucial to search for EXTRA VIRGIN Olive Oil that is cold-pressed, cold-extracted, and never exposed to heat or chemicals.
This is the ONLY way to make sure you are accessing the priceless, health-protective polyphenols found within, which may improve your athletic performance in the many ways already listed above.
HYPERELEON is one of the world’s most highly awarded and deeply certified high-phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oils.
It’s one of the purest sources of natural, antioxidizing polyphenols, used by athletes from all walks of life to improve athletic performance naturally.
Studies show that at least 10% of famous athletes may be using steroids today.
Health experts agree that steroids have no place in sports as they taint the athlete’s natural performance and ability.
The only way to improve your athletic performance is to give your body the natural support it needs to perform at its best, and that’s where HYPERELEON comes in.
To learn more about this medicinal-grade Extra Virgin Olive Oil – and how you can start incorporating it into your athlete’s diet today – click here now.