Olives and olive oil: diet and health impacts.
2012
Lopez, S. | Bermudez, B. | Varela, L. M. | Ortega, A. | Jaramillo, S. | Abia, R. | Muriana, F. J. G.
The Mediterranean diet is a compilation of the nutritional and dietary habits of the countries of the Mediterranean Basin. The principal product of the Mediterranean Basin is virgin olive oil, which is obtained from different varieties of olives that confer their individual nutritional and organoleptic properties. Virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs; mainly oleic acid), but contains other minor compounds (mainly polyphenols), both of which have been demonstrated to have benefits on human health. Epidemiological studies, long- and short-term intervention studies, and postprandial studies have found associations between a virgin-olive-oil-rich diet and decreased cardiovascular risk factors, stroke incidence and type-2 diabetes. Lowered plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels, haemostatic factors and inflammation markers, as well as improved endothelial function and insulin sensitivity, are common outcomes of such studies. Furthermore, these studies showed additional protection against oxidative stress, LDL oxidation and thrombosis, which were attributed to minor compounds in virgin olive oil.
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