Olive oils has, in many studies,has been found to be the healthy alternative to butter and other oils in your diet. Olive oil is very high in monounsaturated fats, polyphenols, antioxidants, vitamins A, D, and E. All leading to health benefits when used in moderation to replace other oils and fats.

History shows that olive oil has long been thought to be a substance of great medical benefit.

In Nov. 2004 The Food and Drug Administration announced the decision to allow Olive Oil producers to make the following health claim on product labels:

"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. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day."

FDA Olive Oil Study

The Mediterranean diet discovered in the 1950's has been long attributed to a healthy lifestyle. It has been scientifically researched for nearly 50 years and still yields positive results in studies.

• Mediterranean Diet Arcticle
• Mayo Clinic Mediterranean Diet Arcticle

Key components of the Mediterranean diet include:

• Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables
• Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
• Eating small portions of nuts
• Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some
• Consuming very little red meat
• Eating fish on a regular basis

Using More Olive Oil May Cut Stroke Risk

If you cook with more olive oil and less vegetable oil, you may be less likely to suffer a stroke. That's the conclusion of new researched published this week in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Our research suggests that a new set of dietary recommendations should be issued to prevent stroke in people 65 and older,” said study author Cécilia Samieri, PhD, with the University of Bordeaux and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Bordeaux, France. “Stroke is so common in older people and olive oil would be an inexpensive and easy way to help prevent it.

For the study, researchers looked at the medical records of 7,625 people ages 65 and older from three cities in France. They categorized them by the amount of olive oil they used. After a little over five years, there were 148 strokes.

More olive oil, less stroke

Drilling down through the numbers, and accounting for diet, physical activity, body mass index and other risk factors for stroke, the study found that the more you consumed olive oil, the less likely you were to suffer a stroke. Those who regularly used olive oil for both cooking and as dressing had a 41 percent lower risk of stroke compared to those who never used olive oil in their diet.