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Olive oil, which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, is a major component of the Mediterranean diet.
Populations from that region have longer life expectancies and lower risks of heart disease, high blood
pressure and stroke, compared with North Americans and Northern Europeans.
Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are considered a healthy dietary fat, as opposed to saturated fats and trans
fats.
This MNT Knowledge Center feature is part of a collection of articles on the health benefits of popular foods.
Maria-Isabel Covas, at the Parc de Recerca Biomdica de Barcelona, Spain, carried out an extensive review of
studies that had focused on the biological and clinical effects of olive oil.
The study was published in the journal Pharmacological Research2.
The study found that people who regularly consume olive oil are much less likely to develop cardiovascular
diseases, including hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, and hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol and
triglyceride levels).
Covas also found that regular olive oil intake helps reduce inflammation, endothelial dysfunction (problems with
the inner linings of blood vessels), thrombosis and carbohydrate metabolism.
Covas concluded "The wide range of *anti-atherogenic effects associated with olive oil consumption could
contribute to explain the low rate of cardiovascular mortality found in Southern European Mediterranean
countries, in comparison with other western countries, despite a high prevalence of coronary heart disease risk
factors."
*Anti-atherogenic means preventing the hardening of the arteries and the development of atherosclerosis.
Frying with olive oil does not raise heart disease risk
People who regularly eat foods fried in olive oil do not have a higher risk of heart disease or premature death,
researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain reported in the BMJ (British Medical Journal).
In this study, Professor Pilar Guallar-Castilln and colleagues surveyed 40,757 adults aged from 26 to 69 years
over an 11-year period. They focused on the people's cooking methods and dietary habits. None of the
participants had heart disease when the study started.
The team defined fried meals as food that had only been prepared by frying it. Participants were also asked
whether their fried food was sauted, battered or crumbed.
The researchers concluded:
"In a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and
where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed
between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death."
Depression risk lower with olive oil, higher with trans fats
People whose diets are high in trans fats - fast foods and mass-produced foods like pastries - may have a higher
risk of depression, compared with those whose diets are rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
According to a study carried out at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain and published in PLoS
ONE, olive oil appears to have a slight protective effect regarding depression risk.
Dr. Almudena Snchez-Villegas and colleagues added that their findings stood even after taking into account
people's overall diet, physical activity and lifestyle.
The research team gathered and analyzed data on 12,000 volunteers over a period of 6 years. Their average age at
the start of the study was 37.5 years. They had all regularly completed a 136-item questionnaire which had
information on their dietary habits, lifestyle, and physical and mental health.
The investigators counted the number of people with depression at the start of the study and then again during
each follow-up. Cases of depression had to be those clinically diagnosed by a doctor.
The study authors found that when they compared the volunteers who consumed trans fats regularly with
individuals whose dietary fat consisted primarily of olive oil, the trans fat consumers had a 48% higher risk of
developing depression.
The amount of trans fat consumed was directly related to depression risk - the more they ate, the higher the risk.
They found that in both cultured brain cells and the mice's brains themselves oleocanthal consistently boosted the
production of two proteins and key enzymes known to be vital in the removal of beta-amyloid from the brain.
The study authors concluded "Extra-virgin olive oil-derived oleocanthal associated with the consumption of
Mediterranean diet has the potential to reduce the risk of AD or related neurodegenerative dementias."
Dr. Hart said "Oleic acid seems to help prevent the development of ulcerative colitis by blocking chemicals in
the bowel that aggravate the inflammation found in this illness. We estimate that around 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."
U.S. Extra Virgin Olive Oil - has an excellent flavor and odor, and a free fatty acid content of 0.8g per
100g (0.8%).
U.S. Virgin Olive Oil - has a reasonably good flavor and odor, and a free fatty acid content of 2g per
100g (2%).
U.S. Virgin Olive Oil Not Fit For Human Consumption Without Further Processing - this is a virgin
oil of poor flavor and odor.
U.S. Olive Oil - this is an oil mix of both virgin and refined oils.
U.S. Refined Olive Oil - this is an oil made from refined oils with some restrictions on the processing.