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November 29, 2006 | Issue 93 |
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The Truth About Olive Oil
Of late, America seems in love with all things Italian, from the Sopranos to olive oil. Rarely, for example, does the media miss a chance to report that olive oil is a “good” fat. The latest study, which hit news wires in September, praised olive oil as heart-healthy – and extra virgin olive oil as especially healthy.(1)
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The problem, though, is that many journalists do not fully dissect the scientific studies they’re reporting on. Facts get distorted. Qualifiers disappear. Headlines turn sensational. And so does the truth.
In this article, Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center, Jeffrey Novick, MS, RD, responds to the hype about olive oil to help you better understand what’s true about this so-called “healthy” fat – and what’s not.
The Hype: Olive oil will protect you from a heart attack.
The Truth: Olive oil is not heart-healthy.
Yes, foods rich in monounsaturated fats like olive oil are healthier than foods full of saturated and trans fats, but just because something is “healthier” does not mean it is good for you.
A “healthier” cigarette (one with less nicotine and toxic chemicals like benzo(a)pyrenes) still leads to lung cancer. “Healthier” monounsaturated fats like olive oil may still lead to diseased arteries. When scientists fed monounsaturated fats to monkeys in isolated controlled studies for five years, the monkeys developed extensive plaque build-up and coronary artery disease.(2)
Monkey Trouble
In fact, “the monkeys fed monounsaturated fat developed equivalent amounts of coronary artery atherosclerosis as those fed saturated fat,” wrote Dr. Lawrence Rudel and colleagues at Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
In a review, Dr. Rudel warned that the science supporting claims that monounsaturated fats are heart protective is weak, based largely on population studies, not controlled trials. Moreover, these claims “are questioned by the demonstrated detrimental effects on atherosclerosis in animal models.”(3)
Several human studies have also questioned olive oil’s heart-health claims. When researchers from the University of Crete recently compared residents of Crete who had heart disease with residents free of the disease, they found that the residents with heart disease ate a diet with “significantly higher daily intakes” of monounsaturated fats (principally olive oil) as well as all fats.(4)
Marginal Benefits
“And data from the Nurses Health Study, an on-going study from Harvard Medical School analyzing the habits and health of nearly 90,000 female nurses, found that those who consumed olive oil were only marginally healthier than those eating a typical high-in-saturated-fat American diet,” states registered dietitian Jeffrey Novick.
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Copyright 2006 Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa. All rights reserved.
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Pritikin Perspective - Healthy Living Made Easier
Pritikin Perspective is a publication for Alumni of the Pritikin Longevity Center. It is dedicated to helping people make healthy changes in their lives. The articles in this publication should not be considered specific medical advice, as each individual circumstance is different. You are strongly encouraged to seek medical advice before beginning a program of diet and exercise.
Editor/Writer: Eugenia Killoran.
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