| The Mediterranean Olive Oil Diet Over time, the Mediterranean population, in which olive oil plays an integral role, has shown a much lower incidence of diet-related diseases, such as heart disease and breast cancer, than North American and Northern European populations. So what do the people of the Mediterranean typically eat? Their diet is based on fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, breads, pasta, potatoes, a wide variety of grains, fish and olive oil. Red meats and wine, both in moderation, round out the diet dubbed "Mediterranean" by nutritional experts. In the "Mediterranean diet," olive oil is the principal source of fat. Olive oil is made up of 77 percent monounsaturated fat. Research shows that olive oil, when used in place of saturated fat in a well-balanced diet, may actually lower the risk of heart disease by reducing the level of harmful low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the bloodstream by carrying it to the liver and leaving the high density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol, intact. "Oils rich in monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, seem to have the most protective effect on the body," says Dr. Barbara Levine, director of the Nutrition Information Center at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine finds that the consumption of olive oil -- and other oils high in monounsaturated fat -- helps reduce women's chances of developing breast cancer1. Research Director Dr. Alicja Wolk at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm suggested that women can easily increase their monounsaturated fat intake by replacing oils that are high in polyunsaturated fat with oils that are rich in monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil.
According to Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, chairman of the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, "American women might actually experience as much as a 50 percent reduction in breast cancer risk if they consumed more olive oil" in place of other fats in their diets. Dr. Trichopoulos added that, "even though diet doesn't go to the root of the breast cancer problem, the findings of the various studies indicate that a prudent diet containing plenty of vegetables with olive oil may lower the risk of this disease."
1. Wolk, Alicja, et. al. "A prospective study of association of monounsaturated fat and other types of fat with risk of breast cancer." Archives of Internal Medicine. 1998; 158:41-45. Olive Oil and Digestion
Because of olive oil's fatty acid content, research shows that it can be digested more easily than any other edible fat or oil. A lower incidence of gallstones has been reported in populations consuming olive oil, which is attributed to the way in which olive oil stimulates bile drainage, raises "good" HDL cholesterol and provides a balanced intake of fatty acids.
Olive Oil and Antioxidants
Olive oil also contains antioxidants, which help protect the body from harmful molecules called "free radicals," which may accelerate the aging process and contribute to the onset of several diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. Nutrition Experts "I love the whole idea of olive oil's versatility. I use it for baking, as well as salad dressings and sautéing. Olive oil has been around for a long time, and the more we know about it, the more we learn about its great contribution to good health."
Pat Baird, dietitian and nutrition consultant, author of "The Pyramid Cookbook: Pleasures of the Food Guide Pyramid"
"American women might actually experience as much as a 50 percent reduction in breast cancer risk if they consumed more olive oil" in place of saturated fats.
Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, chairman of the Department of Epidemiology of Harvard University School of Public Health
"I like the taste of olive oil. And, because olive oil is so flavorful, a little goes a long way while cooking, which is great for people like me who watch their fat intake."
Dr. Barbara Levine, director of the Nutrition Information Center at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
"New Italian research finds olive oil contains antioxidants, similar to those in tea and red wine, that combat disease processes, including LDL cholesterol's ability to clog arteries."
Jean Carper, leading authority on health and nutrition, USA Today Weekend correspondent, author of "The Food Pharmacy" and "Food - Your Miracle Medicine"
"The kind of fat in your diet is just as important as the amount. Olive oil, I believe, has the best health profile of any oil used to sauté or flavor foods. Olive oil can easily be substituted for butter, margarine and other oils."
Nutrition therapist Mary Donkersloot, author of "The Fast-Food Diet: Quick and Healthy Eating at Home and On the Go" and "The Simply Gourmet Diabetes Cookbook" By DIEDTRA HENDERSON, AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON - Food containing olive oil can carry labels saying it may reduce
the risk of coronary heart disease, the government says, citing limited
evidence from a dozen scientific studies about the benefits of
monounsaturated fats.
As long as people don't increase the number of calories they consume daily,
the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) confirmed a reduction in
the risk of coronary heart disease when people replace foods high in
saturated fat with the monounsaturated fat in olive oil.
That means a change as simple as sauteing food in two tablespoons of olive
oil instead of butter may be healthier for your heart.
"Since CHD is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States,
it is a public health priority to make sure that consumers have accurate and
useful information on reducing their risk," Lester M. Crawford, acting FDA
(news - web sites) commissioner, said in a prepared statement.
"It's good news for consumers," said Bob Bauer, president of the North
American Olive Oil Association, which sought the qualified health claim on
Aug. 28, 2003. "Olive oil is a healthy product to help them fight heart
disease." Recent research has underscored the heart benefits from so-called
Mediterranean diets high in unsaturated fats from vegetable oil, nuts and
such fish as salmon and tuna. Mortality rates dropped by more than 50
percent among elderly Europeans who stuck to such diets and led healthy
lifestyles, according to research published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (news - web sites) in September. The North American Olive Oil Association included 88 publications to back its claim for the heart-healthy benefits of olive oil. The group wanted to make the claim for monounsaturated fats contained in just one tablespoon of
olive oil per day.
Olive oil and certain food containing olive oil can now indicate that
"limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about
two tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of
coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil," the FDA
concluded.
"I think FDA just took a more conservative view," Bauer said.
Manufacturers waited for the FDA's precise wording before revising labels.
"I expect, over time, most every container of olive oil will have this," he
said. Already, American restaurants and consumers drive $450 million in olive oil
sales per year. Supermarket sales in 2003 accounted for 132 million pounds
of olive oil, up by nearly one-third over the past six years.
Bauer said he expects the label change to spur a larger uptick in sales.
According to the American Heart Association (news - web sites), coronary
heart disease caused 502,189 deaths - or one in five deaths - in 2001, the
most current statistic available. Another 13.2 million Americans that year
survived the heart attacks, chest pains and other ailments caused by
coronary heart disease.
Along with lowering cholesterol, cutting out cigarettes and exercising, the
group says Americans can boost heart health by eating foods low in saturated
fat, cholesterol and sodium. An American Heart Association spokeswoman
declined comment on the FDA's action until it reviews the health claim.
The FDA discounted most of the submitted studies because the methodology
made it difficult to tease out the effect of the monounsaturated fats in
olive oil. Of a dozen studies that survived the cut, four were the most
persuasive. Thirty-three healthy young American men ate diets high in saturated fats
from butter or cocoa butter, olive oil's monounsaturated fats or
polyunsaturated fats from soybean oil. The soybean and olive oil groups
significantly lowered total and bad LDL cholesterol.
In another trial involving 21 middle-aged Spanish women, those with diets in
which olive oil replaced 8 percent of total daily calories from saturated
fats lowered their total and bad cholesterol while significantly boosting
good HDL cholesterol. Forty-one young Spanish men lowered total and bad LDL cholesterol with an olive oil diet. Levels of good cholesterol did not drop in the olive oil
group, as they did for youthful peers who replaced calories from saturated
fats with carbohydrates. And 22 healthy, middle-aged Spanish men with slightly elevated cholesterol counts were put on a four-week diet high in saturated fat. Those who
switched to a diets high in olive oil and those who replaced calories from
saturated fats with carbohydrates lowered total and bad LDL cholesterol
levels. It's the third time the FDA granted a qualified health claim for
conventional food. In March, the agency said "supportive but not conclusive
research" shows eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day may reduce coronary
heart disease risk. In September, it issued a similar qualified claim for
the heart-healthy benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
'Mediterranean Diet' Cuts Heart Attack, Cancer Risk BOSTON (Reuters) - A study of more than 22,000 Greeks provided further evidence on Wednesday that the "Mediterranean diet" rich in cheese, nuts and olive oil can protect against heart disease and cancer.
The study found that people who ate a Mediterranean-style diet had a 33 percent reduction in the risk of death from heart disease and a cancer death rate that was 24 percent lower compared to volunteers who ate other foods.
The diet, which varies from country to country, often includes monthly servings of meat and weekly meals of poultry, eggs and sweets.
Vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, unrefined cereals, olive oil, cheese and yogurt are eaten most days, as is fish. Wine is consumed in moderation.
Although olive oil is widely credited with many of the benefits of the diet, the research team, led by Antonia Trichopoulou of the University of Athens Medical School, found that no specific food in the diet appeared to be responsible for the improvement in health.
"Individual components may have small effects that emerge only when the components are integrated into a simple, unidimensional score," the researchers said.
In an editorial in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites), in which the study was published, Frank Hu of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said specific nutrients or foods in the diet may somehow interact to reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease. *IsRoil Brand Olive Oil has been shown to have more antioxidants than most olive oils. Please support B'nai B'rith International: Liquid Gold Expands West to U.S.
—Maya Avrasin
When American Jews think olives, they think Israel; but when they think olive oil, they think Italy. Few are aware that Israel produces olive oil as well.
According to the United States Department of Commerce Office of Trade and Economic Analysis’ 2002 report, America imported 69,176 gallons of olive oil, but only 8.6 percent of that was from Israel. While there are smatterings of specialty stores selling Israeli olive oil in the United States, primarily the oil has been sold in Israel.
Until now.
The Florida-based IsRoil olive oil company imports Israeli “liquid gold”—a phrase coined by Greek poet Homer—and sells it exclusively over the Internet on its web site isroiloliveoil.com.
When researching entre p reneurial opportunities, IsRoil founder Jay Iaco Shapiro discovered that Israeli olive oil is not widely available outside the Middle East. Since Israel produces only 5,000 tons of olive oil each y e a r, there is not much for the manufacturers to export. But before long, Boca Raton, Fla.-based Shapiro found a willing distributor in Israel to export the olive oil overseas.
Since Shapiro started IsRoil, the first American web site-only olive oil business in the summer of 2002, he has sold 600 bottles. Business is picking up monthly, he says—in May 2003 he sold 160 bottles. Most of Shapiro’s customers are individuals who find him on the Internet. Shapiro remembers his first customer, a teenager from Minnesota who had just returned from a trip to Israel and was trying to find Israeli olive oil.
The extra virgin olive oil is described on IsRoil’s web site as “tangy and slightly grassy, yet smooth in flavor with a very low acid content.”
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