The Basics

Olive oil has been used for thousands of years in cooking and is one of the cornerstones of the healthy Mediterranean diet. It is very versatile and, with its unique flavor and aroma, has become a must-have in the American kitchen. Different olive oils complement different foods and uses. Olive oil can be used for sauting, browning, stir-frying, deep frying, as an ingredient in marinades and sauces such as mayonnaise, pesto, or romesco, and as a condiment, drizzled over various dishes. It is of course always appreciated as a bread dipper or simply dabbed on a toasted piece of country bread that has been scratched with a clove of garlic. Think about olive oil as you would of wine. Use different olive oils for different purposes. Strong and robust extra virgin olive oils can be used for cooking fish, meat, to make marinades, or to drizzle on strongly flavored ingredients like peppers or garlic. A medium intensity, well-rounded extra virgin olive oil is great on mozzarella or for bread dipping. We love it in vinaigrette or sprinkled on various steamed vegetables and on baked potatoes. A mellow late harvest oil could be used in baking a cake or to make mayonnaise. Olive oil orvirgin olive oil are good for frying and sauting. Excessively heating olive oil will evaporate the alcohols and esters that make up its delicate taste and fragrance. Use a less expensive olive oil that doesn't have much flavor to begin with if you want to fry with it, add a more flavorful olive oil after cooking or at the table. In the end, what matters most is your personal taste! Keep in mind, however, that a tablespoon of olive oil has roughly 120 calories. See our recipes for various dishes prepared with olive oil. We get a lot of questions about how long olive oil lasts and what the best way to preserve it is, as well as what happens to olive oil when it is heated. For detailed information about these two subjects, see our two pages Keeping Olive Oil Fresh and Heating Olive Oil.

Keeping Olive Oil Fresh

When olive oil is exposed to oxygen, light, and heat, it is subject to oxidation and may become rancid. Proper storage can prevent this. Depending on the quality of the oil and on how it was made, extra virgin olive oil in a sealed bottle may last from 3 months to 2 years.Click here for a more detailed discussion of storage conditions and rancidity. As soon as you open the bottle, the oxidation process accelerates and the oil will degrade fairly rapidly. Make sure you keep your oil in a closed bottle, in a dark container or closet, away from sources of heat like your stove. You do not have to refrigerate it, although refrigeration will not hurt the oil. Buying your oil in bulk is a great way to save money. If you do so, the best way to preserve it is to keep it in a stainless steal container, called fusti. Fusti are an excellent way to preserve olive oil. For even better preservation, you can top your fusti off with inert gasfrom a small spray can. If you are using a regular bulk container, try not to open it too often. Fill a couple of bottles for day-to-day use and leave the bulk container carefully closed the rest of the time.

Freezing Olive Oil

Congealed and Partially Solid Refrigerated Olive Oil Actual Freezing Temperature

Myths about Freezing Olive Oil Sources We get many questions about freezing olive oil, such as: what are the clouds in my olive oil, will olive oil freeze in the refrigerator, is freezing olive oil good or bad for it, and does the way it freezes say anything about its quality? We have attempted to clarify the issues below. Most manufacturers preset refrigerator temperatures to around 37F. Chemistry texts list the freezing point of pure oleic acid at around 39F. Olive oil manufacturers don't generally list a freezing temperature because it is quite variable depending on the olive variety and ripeness of the olive at processing. Unlike the properties of an element or simple compound like water, olive oil is made up of hundreds of chemicals, many of which change with every extraction. Like most fruit, olives have waxes on their epidermis (epicarp) to protect them from insects, desiccation, and the elements. These natural waxes are what allow an apple to be shined, for instance. If an oil is sent to a cold climate, or if it will be used in a product like salad dressing where it will be stored in the refrigerator, it is often "winterized" (chilled and filtered) to remove the waxes and stearates. A standard test to determine if olive oil has been sufficiently winterized is to put it in an ice water bath (32F) for 5 hours. No clouding or crystals should occur. CONGEALED AND PARTIALLY SOLID REFRIGERATED OLIVE OIL

Oil that has not been winterized will clump and form needle-like crystals at refrigerator temperatures as the longer chain fats and waxes in the oil congeal, but the oil will not usually harden completely unless chilled further. Some olive varieties form waxes that produce long thin crystals, others form waxes that congeal into rosettes, slimy clumps, clouds, a swirl of egg white like material, or white sediment that the consumer may fear represents spoilage. These visual imperfections also may form outside the refrigerator during the winter when oil is exposed to cold temperatures during transport. The white color in the hardened oil does not indicate spoilage. Chilling or freezing olive oil does not harm it, and the oil will return to its normal consistency when it is warmed. The ideal temperature to store olive oil to reduce oxidation but to avoid clouding is around 50F.

ACTUAL FREEZING TEMPERATURE

To determine the actual freezing temperature, Dr. John Deane put several oils in the freezer with a thermometer. At 40F, most of the oils had not hardened or formed any crystals. At 35F, most were firm enough that they could not be poured but were as soft as butter at room temperature. As the temperature lowered, more components of the oil solidified. At 10F, the oils were hard enough that a fork could not penetrate them. Determining at what point to call the oil "frozen" is a matter of semantics. This slow increase in hardening as the temperature is lowered is in sharp contrast to a pure substance such as water that switches from a liquid to solid phase at an exact temperature.

MYTHS ABOUT FREEZING OLIVE OIL Myth: Hardening Proves Extra Virgin Status.

There is a rumor that true extra virgin olive oil, placed in a small quantity in a glass bowl and

refrigerated for a while, would become crystalline. A chemically refined olive oil with some virgin oil added to it, however, would form a block when frozen. At the Olive Oil Source, we doubt that this is a valid observation. While refined or pomace oils will usually be stripped of their waxes, thus making them more likely to form a block, and while it is more common for a refined oil to be winterized to be used in a cheap dressing, many excellent extra virgin oils do not form "crystals". We have watched the production process of many premium oils, from the olive to the bottle, which form a solid block when frozen. Unfortunately, detecting fraud is more difficult than just freezing the oil. Myth: The Fact that Olive Oil Hardens in the Refrigerator Means That It Is Saturated. Olive oil is not a saturated fat. All fats will harden if they get cold enough, whether they are saturated or not. As we saw above, olive oil often hardens, but not because it is saturated. It has not been refined as seed oils have been, to remove waxes. The presence of waxes does not make the olive oil saturated or unhealthy, it just means it is a natural product. As a general rule, the more saturated the fat, the more likely it will be hard at roomtemperature. Beef and pork lard, margarine, butter, and the saturated tropical fats in cookies, packaged foods, and snack foods are all solid at room temperature. This improves their shelf life, makes packaging easier, and improves "mouth feel" but is not necessarily good for your health.

Heating Olive Oil

Heating Olive Oil and Smoke Point Myths about Cooking with Olive Oil HEATING OLIVE OIL AND SMOKE POINT

One of the questions we are asked most often is what happens when olive oil is heated and/or used for frying. The important thing about cooking with any oil (olive or otherwise) is not to heat the oil over its smoke point (also referred to as smoking point). The smoke point refers to the temperature at which a cooking fat or oil begins to break down. The substance smokes or burns, and gives food an unpleasant taste. But what is the smoke point of olive oil? Depending on where you look for an answer, you may get vastly different ideas. Relationship between Smoke Point and Quality of Olive Oil

The smoke point of oil varies with its quality. High quality extra virgin olive oils (with low free fatty acids) have a high smoke point. They are an excellent choice, but an expensive one. Mass produced, low quality olive oils have a much lower smoke point. At the Olive Oil Source, we believe that extra virgin olive oil smokes roughly between 400 and 365F (204 and 185C) depending on its free fatty acid content. Here is what the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) has to say about frying food with olive oil: When heated, olive oil is the most stable fat, which means it stands up well to high frying temperatures. Its high smoke point (410F or 210C) is well above the ideal temperature for frying food (356F or 180C). The digestibility of olive oil is not affected when it is heated, even when it is re-used several times for frying As a reference point, the table from the IOOC shows standard cooking temperatures:

Type of Food High water content: vegetables, potatoes, fruit Coated in batter, flour or breadcrumbs, forming a crust Small, quickly fried: small fish, croquettes

Cooking Temperature Medium (266-293F or 130-145C) Hot (311-338F or 155-170C) Very Hot (347-374F or 175190C)

How does Olive Oil Compare with Other Cooking Oils? The table below shows the smoke point of a few other cooking oils. Keep in mind that the smoke point for a vegetable oil will vary according to the variety and growing conditions, and how the oil was produced. Various manufacturers and sources cite different numbers. Type of Oil Grape Seed Avocado Sesame Canola Macademia Smoke Point Temperature 485F or 252C 480F or 249C 410F or 210C 400F or 204C 385F or 196C

Having read all of the above, you may be fairly confused by now. Dr. John Deane wrote the following excellent article about the smoke point of olive oil and various cooking considerations. This is the most comprehensive discussion of smoke point that we know of. Smoke Point of Olive Oil by John Deane (updated 09/20/2007)

Pumpkin seed oil, avocado oil, borage and camellia oil; it used to be that a choice of oil for cooking was simple. You used a liquid canola or corn oil for frying or sauting and a hardened oil such as Crisco for baking. We now live in the age of boutique oils. All seeds have oil in them as the energy source for the growing seedling. Man's ingenuity and desire to create a niche market has led to the extraction of many unusual oils. The marketing angles on these oils are manifold. Some claim to have health benefits, others to have flavor. Buyers of argan and shea butter oils may be supporting women's cooperatives in developing nations. Hemp seed oil diehards are sticking it to the man. Grapeseed oil has the romance of the vine. JoJoba oil is a earth friendly alternative oil. While it is hard to compare or argue some of these points, there is one point which should be easy for comparison: the smoke point. A high smoke point is desirable for a cooking oil. When frying, best results occur when the oil is very hot. The food is placed into the hot oil and the natural sugars caramelize and proteins denature into a thin shell which protects the food from soaking up the oil. The outside is crisp and the interior is just cooked. One of the bibles of cooking, Irma Rombauer's The Joy of Cooking recommends frying at 365F for best results. When heated oil smokes, it is not just a nuisance. Besides coating your home interior with a varnish like substance, where there's smoke there's fire. An oil at its smoke point is closer to its flash point - the point where it will burst into flame. So a high smoke point is one yardstick for a good oil If you go to the internet or the market to look for smoke points you will see something interesting. Every oil claims to have the highest smoke point. One website for macadamia nut oil puts their oil at the top of the list with a smoke point of 410F. On their

chart, olive oil comes in at a measly 190F. This is below the temperature of a hot cup of tea! Avocado oil sites say their oil has the highest smoke point and claim nut oils are terrible for frying. The smoke point for a vegetable oil will vary according to the variety and growing conditions, and how the oil was produced. The smoke you see may be impurities in the oil which are burning. Unfiltered olive oil has small bits of olive in it. When the oil is heated these bits will burn and smoke before the oil itself. A well-filtered or clarified oil will have a higher smoke point generally. Oil which has oxidized because of exposure to air, heat and light will have a lower smoke point. Using oil repeatedly will also make it smoke sooner. When looking for the smoke point of an oil you should expect a range of values. The Olive Oil Source claims that extra virgin olive oil smokes from 400 to 365F, according to its free fatty acid content. But the macadamia nut folk say that olive oil smokes at the temperature of hot water out of the tap. When I suggested to the macadamia people that it seemed unlikely that olive oil smokes at temperature lower than boiling water and that maybe they were confusing centigrade with Fahrenheit they insisted they were right. So who do you trust for the real smoke point? The industry group which is advertising and promoting the oil, a random website or a food chemistry text? Here is what some research yielded: The International Olive Oil Council: 410F

Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils: 420F Or why not get some olive oil off the shelf and heat it up in a saucepan with a frying thermometer. This is properly done in a lab with special lighting which shows the first hint of smoke. My stovetop experiment yielded 350F for a jug of discount store oil which had been sitting open in the garage for a few years and 380F for a premium fresh extra virgin oil. Olive oil is fine for frying. It is annoying to counter these conflicting claims when most people would not fry with olive oil anyway. A cheap, flavorless oil with a high smoke point is usually recommended - something like canola, soy or peanut oil. Avocado, macadamia and premium olive oils can cost up to a dollar per ounce. It is unlikely that you are going to deep fry that Thanksgiving turkey in 5 gallons of oil at that price. Besides, if we are so worried about our health, why fry at all? Better to talk up the flavor qualities of olive oil, an area where it shines compared to bland seed oils. An excellent resource with voluminous bibliography is a monograph entitled "Frying Food in Olive oil" by Gregorio Varela, Professor of Nutrition, Madrid University. It is available from theInternational Olive Council (IOC).

MYTHS ABOUT COOKING WITH OLIVE OIL There are some myths that have recently circulated about olive oil that we are constantly answering via email and our newsletter. Following are the two most common. Myth: One Heating common myth Olive is that Oil Will olive Make oil will it Saturated make it or or Trans-fatty. trans-fatty.

heating

saturated

This is not true. As far as making a saturated fat, according to Dr. A. Kiritsakis, a world renowned oil chemist in Athens, in his book Olive Oil from the Tree to the Table -Second edition 1998, all oils will

oxidize and hydrogenate to a tiny degree if repeatedly heated to very high temperatures such as is done in commercial frying operations. Olive-pomace oils and virgin olive oils are both highly monounsaturated oils and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. Studies have shown oxidation and hydrogenation occurs to a lesser degree in olive oil than in other oils. But in any case, the amount of hydrogenation is miniscule and no home cook would ever experience this problem. The large refinery-like factories that take unsaturated vegetable oil and turn it into margarine or vegetable lard do so by bubbling hydrogen gas through 250 to 400F (121 to 204C) hot vegetable oil in the presence of a metal catalyst, usually nickel or platinum. The process can take several hours. You cannot make a saturated product like margarine at home by heating olive oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan. We don't know where this weird notion has come from. For more details, see Olive Chemistry. Changing a cis-fat to a trans-fat does not occur on a home stove. Myth: Cooking in Olive oil Diminishes The Nutritional Value of the Food.

Another myth is that cooking in olive oil diminishes the nutritional value of the food. This a misconception. The fact is that heating food will break down its nutritional value. High heat such as frying is worse than moderate heat such as steaming, which is worse than eating vegetables raw. It is not the cooking oil per se, but the high heat of frying. We are not aware of any edible cooking oil which by itself diminishes the nutritional value of the food cooked in it. Most nutritionists recommend lightly steaming vegetables or eating them. A touch of a flavorsome extra virgin olive oil added at the table will add taste and healthful anti-oxidants. Such is the Mediterranean diet which has been shown to help prevent coronary disease and have other health benefits.

Conversion Chart
Butter/Margarine 1 teaspoon 1 tablespoon 2 tablespoons 1/4 cup 1/3 cup 1/2 cup 2/3 cup 3/4 cup 1 cup Olive Oil 3/4 teaspoon 2 1/4 teaspoons 1 1/2 tablespoons 3 tablespoons 1/4 cup 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons 1/2 cup 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon 3/4 cup

Olive oil can be readily substituted in most main course dishes where margarine or butter is used for frying or sauting. In olive oil producing countries, olive oil and butter/margarine are sometimes also used together to enhance each other's flavor in some recipes. The conversion chart above is appropriate for most cake and pastry recipes where quantities are critical. Keep in mind, however, that it is not always a good idea to use liquid shortening (olive oil/vegetable oil) instead of solid shortening (butter/margarine). For instance, since cake frosting must stay solid at room temperature, butter and powdered sugar work nicely, but olive oil and powdered sugar dont. You should also consider the taste factor. A mild tasting late harvest olive oil could be used in most cake and pastry recipes because cooking will get rid of the aromatic olive oil flavors. Uncooked confections such as cake frosting would taste more than a bit unusual if made with olive oil.

Infusing Olive Oil

It is possible to make excellent infused oil at home using dried wild herbs. The intensity of the flavor varies with the season, whether the herbs are wild or domestic, how the local growing conditions have been, etc. It takes a lot of trial and error. It is more art than science and the people who are good at it are reluctant to share their trade secrets. The oil will pick up the flavor fairly quickly, in the first few weeks, and then slowly intensify. It is fine to leave the herbs in for a long time; eventually all the flavor leaves the herbs and the oil flavor stabilizes. Most oil sellers keep it simple and use one herb at a time. We have seen smoke flavoring added to an herb or peppers added to any one of the herbs. When mixing herbs, think salad dressing. Look at some recipes for dressing and substitute the dried herbs for any fresh herbs called for in the recipe. A dipping blend is like an Italian dressing with much more oil than vinegar. Flavored olive oils and dressings make great gifts but watch out; there are safe and unsafe ways to make infused olive oil. The unsafe way is to put anything in the oil that contains any trace of water or moisture. That would include garlic, lemon peel, fresh peppers, fresh herbs and spices. The oil will not support bacterial growth but the water containing herbs will. Botulism bacteria can grow in this type of environment, even in a sealed bottle. There are several things you can do to avoid this problem. 1. Mix all the ingredients, refrigerate them and use them within a week: This is the best way if you are using fresh ingredients such as fresh basil, fresh rosemary or garlic. Garlic is ideal for adding to pasta dishes, that you can then top with a little grated dry cheese. Fill a decorative 1-litre bottle with extra virgin olive oil. Add a clean head of garlic (whole if desired), and leave to marinade for a few days. You can also use lemon peel, fresh or dried peppers, ginger, rosemary sprigs, etc. Alternatively, you can use a recipe for Italian salad dressing but cut down on the vinegar or lemon juice. 2. Preserve the added ingredients: Maybe you have seen garlic or herbs mixed with oil. The way it is done commercially is to first preserve the water-containing garlic, herb, etc. with a strong brine or vinegar solution, then put it in the oil. The vinegar solutions used commercially are up to 4 times stronger than the vinegars you find in the supermarket. You can find them at commercial food supply outlets. Many of the herb mixes have both salt and vinegar which both prevent bacterial growth. Commercial vinaigrettes and sauces also have chemical preservatives not usually available to the home cook. 3. Dry the herbs to remove all water, leaving the essential oils: This can be done with a food dehydrator or just by leaving in the sun. After the spices and herbs are dry, you can add them to the olive oil. Whole sprigs of thyme, rosemary, dried peppers, etc. can decorate the inside of the bottle this way. 4.Press the olives with the spices: Putting lemon, garlic, etc. in the olive press with the olives is the safest way to flavor oil. You must have your own olive press (see our First Press). The oils from the added ingredients mingle with the olive oil and the watery part of the spices is removed along with the olive water. You could add essential spice oils to the olive oil to achieve the same effect.

Check out our bottle collection for home cooks who want beautiful containers to store their infused oils or make them as gifts.

Health and Olive Oil

There are arguably few products that have as much positive impact on your health as olive oil does. Healthy amounts of water are good for you, inside and out. Daily exercise fits in this category too. There is a group of super foods (e.g. salmon, blueberries, oats, walnuts, spinach, or soy), high in antioxidants, vitamins, and omega-3 and 6, which are important to a healthy diet. But we think that olive oil is in a class of its own for the many ways it can positively impact a healthy lifestyle. Well-documented by numerous studies around the world, the many health benefits of olive oil make it one of the most indispensable ingredients of a healthy diet. Naturally packed with monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, not only can a good extra virgin olive oil lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, research has shown that it also provides a wide range of anti-inflammatory benefits that can positively impact illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, and asthma. Even the FDA suggests that replacing just two tablespoons of saturated fat with extra virgin olive oil in your daily diet can have measurable positive effects. Why is that? The following pages give you a summary of what olive oil is made of, why it is good for you, and how it can fit in a healthy diet.

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What is in Olive Oil Why Olive Oil is Good for You Heart Disease Cholesterol Cancer Diabetes Blood Pressure Arthritis Asthma Weight Control How Olive Oil Fits in a Healthy Lifestyle Medical Resources

Heart Disease
Vitamin E, Heart Disease and Olive Oil Can Olive Oil Help Prevent Heart Attacks? Olive Oil and Heart Disease? Is Any fat Good Fat? Sources There are many scientific studies that suggest that olive oil helps prevent and treat heart disease. Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while raising HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels. No other naturally produced oil has as high as a percentage of mono-unsaturated fat as olive oil. It appears that people who consumed 23ml about 2 tablespoons - of virgin olive oil daily showed less oxidation of LDL cholesterol and higher levels of anti-oxidant compounds, particularly phenols, in the blood. But while all types of olive oil are sources of mono-unsaturated fat, extra virgin olive oil (and especially the higher quality ones) contains higher levels of anti-oxidants, particularly vitamin E and phenols, because it is less processed. The articles below address specific cardiac concerns.

VITAMIN E, HEART DISEASE, AND OLIVE OIL Atherosclerosis is the process of plaque formation, thickening and blocking of the arteries that can lead to heart attacks and stroke. LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol is thought to be partially responsible for these changes when it oxidizes in the artery wall. It has been hoped that anti-oxidants in the diet would be found to decrease atherosclerosis. Studies show that people who eat antioxidant rich foods such as vegetable oils, fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts have a lower chance of getting heart disease and cancer. It was assumed that taking Vitamin E supplements would do the same but oddly enough newer studies show that this is not true. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Iannuzzi and colleagues of Cardarelli Hospital in Naples found that women who consumed more vitamin E were less likely to get early signs of cardiovascular disease. They looked at ultrasound evidence of thickening in the carotid arteries, a marker for vascular disease throughout the body. Study participants were women from Southern Italy. They got most of their vitamin E from legumes, vegetables and olive oil. 1.6mg, or 2.3 IU (International Units) of Vitamin E, a natural antioxidant, is present in one tablespoon of olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil would provide 8% of the recommended daily allotment for vitamin E. Doctor Uannuzzi found that additional Vitamin E only helped those women whose levels started out low. Women with an adequate intake could not lower their risk of atherosclerosis by adding vitamin E to the diet. Other anti-oxidants such as Vitamin A and C did not seem to affect carotid thickening. More recently 10,000 patients at high risk for heart attack or stroke were followed for 4.5 years in the the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) Study. People who received 265 mg (400) IU of vitamin E daily did not experience significantly fewer cardiovascular events or hospitalizations for heart failure or chest pain when compared to those who received placebo. Supplements of Vitamin E alone do not appear to be effective in reducing heart disease. However, Vitamin E which is consumed within an anti-oxidant rich diet is correlated with decreased atherosclerosis. It seems that whole foods, rather than derived supplements, are responsible for the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet (Dr. John Deane 12/03/03). Olive oil is one of these Vitamin E-containing, antioxidant whole foods.

CAN OLIVE OIL HELP PREVENT HEART ATTACKS? A recent study looked at the basic disease process behind heart attacks: the development of blood clots that block the coronary arteries. Several studies in Mediterranean countries have shown that the incidence of heart disease is lower than would be expected by blood cholesterol levels. Many feel that this discrepancy can be explained by the high amount of olive oil in the diet in this region. But what is it in olive oil that lowers heart attack risk? Researchers Larsen LF, Jespersen J, and Marckmann P at the Centre for Advanced Food Studies, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark decided to see if it was due to olive oil affecting the blood's basic ability to form clots. Less effective clotting would mean fewer heart attacks. The researchers compared the effects of virgin olive oil with those of rapeseed and sunflower oils on blood coagulation factor VII, which is a key factor in blood clot formation. In this study eighteen healthy young men consumed diets enriched with olive oil, sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil for a period of 3 weeks. Levels of Factor VII were significantly lower in those who ate olive oil compared to sunflower or rapeseed (canola) oil. The study's conclusion was that olive oil may lower the procoagulant tendency of fatty meals which could explain the low incidence of heart attacks in Mediterranean countries.


OLIVE OIL AND HEART DISEASE? IS ANY FAT GOOD FAT? There is still a great difference of opinion about oils and health. What people agree on is that less fat is better and unsaturated fats are better than saturated ones. The question is, how low do you go and which oils are better than others. The truth may be that everyone is different and fats may or may not be a risk factor depending on one's genes. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to lower heart disease but people living in Mediterranean countries eat as much as 40% of their calories as fats (mostly olive oil). How much of the benefit is from the oil and how much is from the large quantity of nuts, fruits, and vegetables that are consumed? Studies are in progress to try to find out. For patients with low HDL levels and high triglycerides, the Mediterranean diet may lower heart disease best. Dr. Dean Ornish rose to national prominence with a diet and lifestyle program that advocates as little as 10% calories from fat. This has been shown to actually reverse atherosclerosis in some studies. Dr. Ornish says high triglycerides and low HDL are risky only for people on high-fat diets. With a lower fat diet your HDL level is less important. But there are a few critics who argue that a diet too low in fat may actually lower the good HDL cholesterol and cause worse damage to arteries. Yet there are plenty of places in the world where heart disease is unheard of, as in rural China where the diet is heavy with complex carbohydrates such as rice and greens, very light in meat, and contains no dairy. That would tend to support Dr. Ornish. Now what about the different oils? Animal fats have cholesterol so there is a consensus we should avoid them. Plant oils never contain cholesterol but those that are deliberately saturated to stay solid at room temperature cause oxidative damage with resulting accelerated heart disease. Mono-unsaturated fats such as the ones found in olive oil are best at lowering cholesterol. There is new research that shows that nut oils such as almond oil can lower cholesterol and raise HDL more effectively than olive oil. As you can see, the jury is still out, and there is still controversy about diet and heart disease. But most cardiology experts agree that lower fat is better. Remember, sopping your bread with olive oil may make you feel like you are doing the healthy thing, but 2 tablespoons of oil is equivalent to 2 scoops of Ben and Jerry's when it comes to total fat.

Cholesterol
What Is It? How Does Diet Affect It? What Role Can Olive Oil Play? Sources One of the health care subjects we are most asked about is cholesterol. Cholesterol-controlling pharmaceuticals are widely publicized and the medical market profits significantly from their sales. But what exactly is cholesterol? What role does it play in your overall health? And how can olive oil offer a natural solution to help balance cholesterol levels and offset potentially harmful diseases like atherosclerosis (heart disease) and hypertension (high blood pressure)?

WHAT IS IT? First, it is important to understand that cholesterol, in and of itself, is not bad for you. On the contrary, the body needs cholesterol to function properly. It is the balance of three types of cholesterol (HDL (good), LDL (bad), and triglycerides) in your body that determine whether it is providing an optimum benefit. The American Heart Association provides a simple explanation: Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It is normal to have cholesterol. Cholesterol is an important part of a healthy body because it is used for producing cell membranes and some hormones, and serves other needed bodily functions. But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and for stroke. Hypercholesterolemia is the medical term for high levels of blood cholesterol. Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body and food. Your liver and other cells in your body make about 75 percent of blood cholesterol. The other 25 percent comes from the foods you eat. Cholesterol cannot dissolve in the blood. It has to be transported to and from the cells by carriers called lipoproteins. LDL (Bad) Cholesterol When too much low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, it can result in a heart attack or stroke. LDL cholesterol is produced naturally by the body, but many people inherit genes from their mother, father, or even grandparents that cause them to make too much. Eating saturated fat, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol also increases how much you have. HDL (good) Cholesterol About one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL cholesterol is known as good cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack. Low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) also increase the risk of heart disease. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is passed from the body. Some experts believe that HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its buildup. Triglycerides Triglyceride is also a form of fat made in the body. Elevated triglycerides can be due to overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption, and a diet very high in carbohydrates (60 percent of total calories or more). People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including a high LDL (bad) level and a low HDL (good) level. Many people with heart disease and/or diabetes also have high triglyceride levels. Lp(a) Cholesterol Lp(a) is a genetic variation of LDL (bad) cholesterol. A high level of Lp(a) is a significant risk factor for the premature development of fatty deposits in arteries. Lp(a) is not fully understood, but it may interact with substances found in artery walls and contribute to the buildup of fatty deposits.


HOW DOES DIET AFFECT IT? The daily recommended cholesterol limit is less than 300 milligrams for people with normal LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. People with high LDL blood cholesterol levels or who are taking a blood cholesterollowering medication should eat less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. Yet, the typical American diet is rich in saturated fatty acids provided by animal fats and processed (e.g. partially hydrogenated oils like margarine) fats. Almost every meal offers an assortment of these bad for you fats found in butter, margarine, fried foods, processed cheese, red meats all accompanied by excessive amounts of carbohydrates. For example, eating one egg for breakfast, drinking two cups of coffee with one tablespoon of half-and-half each, lunching on four ounces of lean turkey breast without skin and one tablespoon of mayonnaise, and having a 6-ounce serving of broiled, short loin porterhouse steak for dinner would account for about 510 mg of dietary cholesterol that day nearly twice the recommended limit. This dietary pattern encourages cholesterol imbalance and has created a population at high risk of coronary disease, diabetes, and obesity. On the other hand, it is widely acknowledged that the Mediterranean diet delivers the opposite effect. Rich in monounsaturated and omega-3 and 6 (polyunsaturated) fats, green vegetables and fish, and olive oil, this type of diet has been credited with balanced cholesterol levels, lower incidences of heart disease and diabetes, and longer life spans.

WHAT ROLE CAN OLIVE OIL PLAY? Olive oil has always served a central role in the Mediterranean diet, providing a strong source of monounsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats. These contributions to an overall healthy diet can have positive effects on cholesterol levels by helping to maintain a better balance between HDL (good) cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Research studies have confirmed that diets high in saturated fats are known to raise LDL, while diets high in mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats tend to decrease LDL levels. A meta-analysis of 27 human trials designed to examine the effect of poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acid rich diets on blood lipid levels found that both types of dietary fats may potentially lower total and LDL cholesterol levels. Further studies have revealed that other than its high mono-unsaturated content, unprocessed (such as extra-virgin) olive oil contains non-fat components such as certain phenolic compounds that have a wide range of health benefits including positive effects on cholesterol (both good and bad) levels and LDL oxidation.

Diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the type of fat you eat is more important than your total fat consumption. They recommend eating less saturated fats which are unhealthy. Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels. High blood cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and people with diabetes are at high risk for heart disease.

ADA recommends replacing saturated fats by unsaturated fats. One of the ways to do this is to use olive oil instead of butter, margarine, or shortening when cooking. Keep in mind that all oils are high in calories and watch your consumption! An added advantage is that olive oil is also linked to lower triglyceride levels and may help to offset a propensity for high triglyceride levels that many diabetics suffer from, which puts them at risk for heart disease. There has also been published research reported by ADA in Diabetes Care that indicates olive oil may be beneficial to reducing belly fat and insulin sensitivity. In sum, when researchers fed Type 2 diabetic patients different diets - a high carbohydrate diet, or a diet rich in either saturated fat or olive oil (Mediterranean diet) - the high carb diet increased abdominal fat compared to the fat-rich diets. Of the three diets, the diet rich in olive oil did best, preventing not only belly fat accumulation, but insulin resistance and a drop in adiponectin. Adiponectin, a hormone produced and secreted by fat cells (adipocytes), regulates sugar and fat metabolism, improves insulin sensitivity, and has anti-inflammatory effects on the cells lining the blood vessel walls.

Weight Control
The first thing to say about olive oil and weight control is that it is important to remember that, for all its health benefits, olive oil must be consumed is small quantities as it is high in calories (about 120 calories per tablespoon). So more is not necessarily better! Having said that, it might seem counter-intuitive to learn that including fat in your diet can help you lose fat. But according to a September 2003 research report in the British Journal of Medicine, substituting olive oil for other saturated fats in your diet can do just that. While the study was not based on a broad range of subjects, it included eight overweight men between the ages of 24-49 years and demonstrated a clear correlation between the use of olive oil in a healthy diet and a reduction in body weight and fat mass. The remarkable aspect of this study is that the only variable was the substitution of olive oil for saturated fats. The eight men were divided into two groups and for four weeks ate similar foods with the exception that the first group ate more saturated than unsaturated fats. The first group followed a saturated fat-rich diet based on 24% calories from saturated fat, 13% from monounsaturated fat, and 3% from polyunsaturated fat. The second groups diet was modified to include 22% monounsaturated fats, 7% polyunsaturated fats and 11% saturated fats. The second group consumed the same number of calories as the first group, and there was no increase in physical activity in either group. At the end of four weeks, the men from the second group were lighter and had a lower body-fat index than the men who ate the saturated fats. Another report published in the same journal found that olive oil can cause a breakdown of fats in fat cells (adipocytes). While this study was conducted on 45 laboratory animals, not humans, the results clearly indicated a relationship between the consumption of olive oil in a diet and the fat cell lypolytic (fat breakdown) activity. There has also been published research reported by the American Diabetes Association in Diabetes Care that indicates olive oil may be beneficial to reducing belly fat and insulin sensitivity. In sum, when researchers fed type 2 diabetic patients different diets - a high carbohydrate diet, or a diet rich in either saturated fat or olive oil (Mediterranean diet) - the high carb diet increased abdominal fat compared to

the fat-rich diets. Of the three diets, the diet rich in olive oil did best, preventing not only belly fat accumulation, but insulin resistance and a drop in adiponectin. Adiponectin, a hormone produced and secreted by fat cells (adipocytes), regulates sugar and fat metabolism, improves insulin sensitivity, and has anti-inflammatory effects on the cells lining the blood vessel walls.

Blood Pressure
Healthy blood pressure levels are an indicator of how clear the bodys arteries are. When blood pressure levels get out of balance, they can signal a potential heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure levels are often caused by atherosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries, which occurs when oxidized particles of LDL cholesterol stick to the walls of the arteries. Eventually these particles build up and form plaque, narrowing the blood vessels and putting a heavier workload on the heart as it pumps oxygenated blood to the entire body. One of the specific compounds in olive oil that directly combats this build-up is called oleuropein. Oleuropein has been found by scientists to prevent the LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and sticking to the arterial walls. Saturated fat diets are associated with higher blood pressure but there have been few good studies on whether the reverse is true; can unsaturated fats lower blood pressure? And are some unsaturated fats better than others? The answer is yes according to a well-designed study published by researchers from the University of Naples, Italy. They fed 23 subjects a diet rich either in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (olive oil) or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (sunflower oil) for one year. In their words, "the main result of our investigation was a straightforward reduction in antihypertensive tablet consumption when patients were given olive oil, whereas drug consumption was only mildly affected by sunflower oil." The need for common blood pressure drugs such as atenolol, HCTZ, and nifedipine was cut in half after just 4 months on the olive oil diet whereas drug consumption was only mildly affected by sunflower oil. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were also slightly lower while on the olive oil diet. There are as many as 5 mg of antioxidant polyphenols (absent in sunflower oil) in every 10 grams of olive oil. Polyphenols have been shown to reduce coronary artery disease and may be the substance lowering blood pressure. Antioxidants reduce nitric acid levels, a substance in the body known to raise blood pressure. At 26.6% of calories from fat the experimental diet was also low in total fat. The study was double blinded with neither subjects nor researchers aware of which oil was being used. Subjects were told to cook with given oil and men were told to add 40g and women to add 30g of oil after cooking. The study participants experienced no change in weight during the year. For readers with high blood pressure thinking of doing their own olive oil study: please get the consent of your doctor before changing medication doses.