While olive leaf extract is best known as an antioxidant and immune boosting nutrient, a number of studies are showing that it is another nutrient that can help improve metabolism. 

In a 12-week study with middle-aged overweight men, olive leaf extract improved insulin sensitivity by 15% and the function of pancreatic beta cells by 28%, helping to steer metabolism away from its path of decline.

Since many people with blood sugar problems are prone to infection, especially in the winter, supplementing with olive leaf extract is likely to help both issues at the same time.

 

WHAT IS IT CLAIMED TO DO FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

It is suggested that OLIVE LEAF EXTRACT 

  • prevents the growth of layers of fat inside the stomach which would obviously have an effect on how overweight a user may appear.
  • It improves the absorption of nutrients by muscle cells; the extract can help the muscles to absorb Adiponectin, it has the ability to regulate the levels of glucose found in the bloodstream.
  • Olive Leaf Extract’s weight loss properties are realted to its powerful anti-inflammatory effect, even more so than Green Tea. This is said to be beneficial for weight loss due to the fact that being overweight or obese is associated with chronic inflammation problems. It is believed that if some of this inflammation can be reduced then so can some of the effects associated with being overweight and a by-product of this is thought to be weight loss.

This particular study was conducted in 2010 by scientists based at the University of Southern Queensland. It was noted that the Olive Leaf Extract had actually significantly reduced all of the effects of the high carbohydrate and high fat diet that the subjects had to follow for 8 weeks. This included improving problems processing sugar and a decrease in inflammation of the heart. As well as this, liver and fat pads were also significantly reduced which is said to suggest that the Olive Leaf Extract may also aid in lessening harmful fat deposits in the body.

What is interesting about this study in terms of how the extract is believed to work is that the researchers put these results down to its anti-inflammatory properties and said that it acted much like Green Tea and Ibuprofen.