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Article: Olive oil.(ALTERNATIVE MEDS UPDATE: What you should know about the herbs and supplements patients use)
- Article from:
- Clinical Advisor
- Article date:
- September 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Haymarket Media, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Olive trees (Olea europea) have been cultivated in the Mediterranean basin for thousands ofyears. Both the fruit and its oil have been highly valued as a source of food and wealth since ancient times. (1)
Mediterranean countries continue to be the largest producers of all olive products, with Spain leading the world and Italy close behind. (1) As the main fat in the so-called Mediterranean diet, olive oil has come under intense scrutiny in the past decade as a potential reason for the lower incidence of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in that region. (2)
Background
Olive plants vary from shrubs to ...