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Article: Olive Oil: The Slippery Details
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- November 9, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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It's official: Under a "qualified health claim" granted last week
by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bottles of olive oil can
now boast what proponents of the Mediterranean style of eating have
long contended: Olive oil may help reduce the risk of heart disease.
That's because olive oil contains mono-unsaturated fatty acids,
which lower the dangerous type of blood cholesterol known as low-
density lipoprotein (LDL). Polyunsaturated fat, such as safflower
oil, does the same. Neither affects the "good cholesterol" (high-
density lipoprotein, HDL). But olive oil also appears to reduce the
inflammation tied to artery damage and it seems to keep the inner
lining of arteries calm and ...