Olive Oil, the Mediterranean Diet, and Cardiovascular Health

2008 ◽  
Vol 207 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L. Huang ◽  
Bauer E. Sumpio
Keyword(s):  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
The Mediterranean

scholarly journals Healthy Alternatives of the Mediterranean Diet in Latvia

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 315-319
Author(s):  
Andrejs Ērglis ◽  
Iveta Mintāle ◽  
Anete Dinne
Keyword(s):  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Virgin Olive Oil ◽  
Extra Virgin Olive Oil ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract The milestone of illness prophylaxis is a healthy lifestyle, which is composed of regular physical activity and a healthy diet. Following the Mediterranean diet for two years has been shown to have significant decrease in cardiovascular death by 9%, cancer by 6%, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's by 13%. This diet helps to control the perfect weight, improves lipid profile and diminishes the risk of diabetes. The Mediterranean diet consists of extra virgin olive oil, vegetables and fruit, wholegrain products, legumes, nuts and seeds, dairy products (with no other sources of fat other than milk fat), fish (at least twice a week), poultry, veal, pork in limited amount, and eggs - 0-4 per week. It is possible to adapt this kind of alimentation in the Nordic countries, but it is important to find products grown there with similar nutritional characteristics. Nowadays, fresh fruits and vegetables can be bought all year round, but it is essential to use seasonal products. In Latvia, at this point, attention should be brought to more efficient storage and conservation. We have a vast variety of legumes and cereals. The selection of dairy products should be bigger and of higher quality, because you rarely see local cheeses made in an artisanal manner at the marketplaces. There is good availability of saltwater fish in the cities, but in the countryside the only fish one can buy is salted and smoked, having exaggeratedly high amounts of salt. Consumption of meat and its products should be lowered to a maximum of three times per week. A special attention should be brought to game (such as deer), because it contains low levels of cholesterol and higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids due to the alimentation of wild herbs. Unfortunately, there is a lack of good quality oil in Latvia, because no other product can be compared to the nutritious components of extra virgin olive oil and its effects on cardiovascular health. Consumption of high amounts of olive oil decreases the incidence of stroke by 41%. Education should be conducted widely to promote tradition and gastronomic heritage as a cultural aspect. Healthy lifestyle has to be visible to everyone at any time as a constant reminder of its importance.

scholarly journals Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): Quality, Safety, Authenticity, and Adulteration

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 995
Author(s):  
Theodoros Varzakas
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Virgin Olive Oil ◽  
Extra Virgin Olive Oil ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The prevention and bioactivity effects associated with the so-called “Mediterranean diet” make olive oil the most consumed edible fat in the food intake of the Mediterranean basin [...]

scholarly journals Additive Regulation of Adiponectin Expression by the Mediterranean Diet Olive Oil Components Oleic Acid and Hydroxytyrosol in Human Adipocytes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e0128218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egeria Scoditti ◽  
Marika Massaro ◽  
Maria Annunziata Carluccio ◽  
Mariangela Pellegrino ◽  
Martin Wabitsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oleic Acid ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Human Adipocytes ◽  
Oil Components ◽  
The Mediterranean

scholarly journals Olive oil, the Mediterranean diet, and arterial blood pressure: the Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study

2004 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1012-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodora Psaltopoulou ◽  
Androniki Naska ◽  
Philippos Orfanos ◽  
Dimitrios Trichopoulos ◽  
Theodoros Mountokalakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Arterial Blood Pressure ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Prospective Investigation

scholarly journals Effects of Olive Oil on Blood Pressure: Epidemiological, Clinical, and Mechanistic Evidence

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marika Massaro ◽  
Egeria Scoditti ◽  
Maria Annunziata Carluccio ◽  
Nadia Calabriso ◽  
Giuseppe Santarpino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Antihypertensive Medications ◽  
Hypertensive Patients ◽  
High Oleic ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

The increasing access to antihypertensive medications has improved longevity and quality of life in hypertensive patients. Nevertheless, hypertension still remains a major risk factor for stroke and myocardial infarction, suggesting the need to implement management of pre- and hypertensive patients. In addition to antihypertensive medications, lifestyle changes, including healthier dietary patterns, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean diet, have been shown to favorably affect blood pressure and are now recommended as integrative tools in hypertension management. An analysis of the effects of nutritional components of the Mediterranean diet(s) on blood pressure has therefore become mandatory. After a literature review of the impact of Mediterranean diet(s) on cardiovascular risk factors, we here analyze the effects of olive oil and its major components on blood pressure in healthy and cardiovascular disease individuals and examine underlying mechanisms of action. Both experimental and human studies agree in showing anti-hypertensive effects of olive oil. We conclude that due to its high oleic acid and antioxidant polyphenol content, the consumption of olive oil may be advised as the optimal fat choice in the management protocols for hypertension in both healthy and cardiovascular disease patients.

scholarly journals Changes in food supply in Mediterranean countries from 1961 to 2001

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reina Garcia-Closas ◽  
Antoni Berenguer ◽  
Carlos A González
Keyword(s):  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Dietary Pattern ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Traditional Mediterranean Diet ◽  
The 1960S

AbstractObjectiveTo describe geographical differences and time trends in the supply of the most important food components of the traditional Mediterranean diet.DesignFood supply data collected from national food balance sheets for the period 1961–2001.SettingSelected Mediterranean countries: Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.ResultsDifferences of almost 30-fold and five-fold were found in the supply of olive oil and fruits and vegetables, respectively, among the Mediterranean countries studied during the 1960s. A favourable increasing trend for the supply of fruit and vegetables was observed in most Mediterranean countries. However, an increase in the supply of meats and dairy products and a decrease in the supply of cereals and wine were observed in European Mediterranean countries from 1961 until 2001. Only in African and Asiatic Mediterranean countries were cereals the base of food supply. During the 1990s, Greece's food supply pattern was closest to the traditional Mediterranean diet, while Italy and Spain maintained a high availability of fruits, vegetables and olive oil, but were losing the other typical components. Among African and Asiatic Mediterranean countries, only Turkey presented a traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern except with respect to olive oil, the supply of which was very low. France showed a Western dietary pattern, with a high supply of animal products and a low supply of olive oil.ConclusionsDietary supplies in the Mediterranean area were quite heterogeneous in the 1960s and have experienced a process of Westernization, especially in European Mediterranean countries.

Plasma Carotenoid Levels in Relation to the Mediterranean Diet in Greece

2003 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trichopoulou ◽  
Benetou ◽  
Lagiou ◽  
Gnardellis ◽  
Stacewicz-Sapunzakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Beta Carotene ◽  
Blood Levels ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
The Mediterranean

In the context of the Greek segment of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), we conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the effects of the intake of plant foods central in the traditional Mediterranean diet on plasma levels of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein-zeaxanthin. Study subjects were a random sample of 45 men and 68 women, aged 30–82 years, from the Greek EPIC cohort of 27953 volunteers. Linear regression models were fitted, with the carotenoid blood levels as dependent variables. Independent variables were selected food items, as well as body mass index, controlling for energy intake and a set of demographic factors. Body mass index was inversely associated with plasma levels of the studied carotenoids. The association was highly significant for alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, significant for lutein-zeaxanthin, and borderline significant (p ~ 0.07) for lycopene. Tomato intake was significantly positively associated with plasma lycopene, and beta-carotene. Other fruity vegetables and non-fruity vegetables were significantly positively associated, the former with a-carotene and the latter with both alpha- and beta-carotene plasma levels. Fruits showed a highly significant positive association with plasma beta-cryptoxanthin, as well as with beta-carotene. No association was found between the intake of olive oil or other added lipids and plasma carotenoids. We conclude that among the studied components of the Mediterranean diet, fruits and vegetables tend to increase levels of some carotenoids, but olive oil has no apparent effect.

Diet and cancer in Mediterranean countries: carbohydrates and fats

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (9A) ◽  
pp. 1595-1600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Bosetti ◽  
Claudio Pelucchi ◽  
Carlo La Vecchia
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Olive Oil ◽  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Glycaemic Index ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Mediterranean

AbstractObjectiveSeveral aspects of the diet characteristic of the Mediterranean countries are considered favourable not only on cardiovascular disease, but also on cancer risk. We considered some aspects of the Mediterranean diet (including, in particular, the consumption of olive oil and carbohydrates) on cancer risk.Design, Setting and SubjectsData were derived from a series of case-control studies, conducted in Italy since the early 1990s, on over 10 000 cases of thirteen cancer sites and over 17 000 controls.ResultsOlive oil, and other mono- and unsaturated fats, appear to be favourable indicators of breast, ovarian, colorectal, but mostly of upper aero-digestive tract cancers. Whole grain foods are also related to reduced risk of upper aero-digestive tract and various other cancers. In contrast, refined grain intake and, consequently, glycaemic index and glycaemic load were associated to increased risk for several cancer sites. Fish, and hence a diet rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, tended to be another favourable diet indicator, while frequent red meat intake was directly related to some common neoplasms. An a priori defined Mediterranean diet score was inversely related to upper digestive and respiratory tract cancers.ConclusionsThese data provide additional evidence that major characteristics of the Mediterranean diet favourably affect cancer risk.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document