A study scheduled to be published in the January, 2007 issue of The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) reports the finding of researchers from five European countries that the greater intake of olive oil in Southern European countries may be responsible for the lower rate of cancer observed among individuals living there, in comparison with their Northern European neighbors.

Investigators led by Henrik E. Poulsen, MD of Rigshospitalet, Denmark gave volunteers from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Spain 25 milliliters olive oil daily for three weeks. Urine samples were analyzed for levels of the waste by-products of cellular oxidative damage, which is a precursor of cancer. While the by-products were higher among Northern European participants at the beginning of the trial, a significant reduction was observed by the study's end.

"Determining the health benefits of any particular food is challenging because of it involves relatively large numbers of people over significant periods of time," Dr Poulsen stated. "In our study, we overcame these challenges by measuring how olive oil affected the oxidation of our genes, which is closely linked to development of disease. This approach allows us to determine if olive oil or any other food makes a difference. Our findings must be confirmed, but every piece of evidence so far points to olive oil being a healthy food. By the way, it also tastes great."

"Every New Year people make resolutions that involve eating less fat to improve their health," FASEB Journal editor-in-chief Gerald Weissmann, MD, commented. "This academically sound, practically useful study shows that what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. No wonder Plato taught wisdom in an olive grove called Academe."

Yeah Olive oil has any positive benifits. I have a friend that told me that a guy that works at a local healthstore said
To get the benifits of olive oil you have to take the original olive oil and not the light tasting olive oil. Honestly i think its BS . does anyone know for a fact if this is true?

Find an extra virgin olive oil that is cold pressed, unfiltered, and looks cloudy. The oil should be packaged in dark glass bottles to protect it from the damaging effects of light.

"First cold press" means that the oil in bottles with this label is the first oil that came from the first press of the olives. The word "cold" is important because if heat is used, the olive oil's chemistry is changed.

Most of the governments in the world are members of the International Olive Oil Council, which requires member governments to promulgate laws making olive oil labels conform to the IOOC standards.

The United States, however, is not a member of the IOOC (it is the only major oil-producing or oil-consuming country that is not), and therefore the retail grades listed above have no legal meaning in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which controls this aspect of labeling, currently lists four grades of olive oil: "Fancy," "Choice," "Standard," "Substandard." These were established in 1948. The grades are based on acidity, absence of defects, odor and flavor. While the USDA is considering adopting labeling rules that parallel the international standards, until they do so terms such as "extra virgin" may be applied to any grade of oil, making the term of dubious usefulness.

I am sure that the olive oil does help prevent cancer/heart disease, but I also noticed something when I traveled to Italy and France last year. The majority of people in Italy and France WALK almost everywhere, much, much more than here in the states. I'm sure this also comes into play along with the olive oil.

It has been contributed to better cholesterol counts and, when consumed in quantities (though I am not sure what dictates quantities), olive oil has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties as well.

Interesting about the US's lack of participation in the IOOC. Hopefully, the USDA will elect to take part in that council. But, even if they don't, olive oil is just like any other product in that it must contain what it says. In other words, if a company advertised their oil as a first cold pressing then it would have to be, in fact, a first cold pressing.

I would imagine the same would hold true with labels such as "virgin" and "extra virgin" although I am not entirely clear on what these labels even mean?

It has been contributed to better cholesterol counts and, when consumed in quantities (though I am not sure what dictates quantities), olive oil has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties as well.

Interesting about the US's lack of participation in the IOOC. Hopefully, the USDA will elect to take part in that council. But, even if they don't, olive oil is just like any other product in that it must contain what it says. In other words, if a company advertised their oil as a first cold pressing then it would have to be, in fact, a first cold pressing.

I would imagine the same would hold true with labels such as "virgin" and "extra virgin" although I am not entirely clear on what these labels even mean?

Retail grades in IOOC member nations
Since IOOC standards are complex, the labels in stores (except in the U.S.) clearly show an oil's grade:

Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
Virgin olive oil has an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil.
Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil, containing at most 1% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined pomace olive oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be called olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely found in a grocery store; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
Lampante oil is olive oil not used for consumption; lampante comes from olive oil's ancient use as fuel in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.

Label wording
Olive oil vendors choose the wording on their labels very carefully.

"Imported from Italy" produces an impression that the olives were grown in Italy, although in fact it only means that the oil was bottled there. A corner of the same label may note that the oil was packed in Italy with olives grown in Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia instead of Italy.
"100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.
"Made from refined olive oils" suggests that the essence was captured, but in fact means that the taste and acidity were chemically produced.
"Light olive oil" refers to a lighter color, not a lower fat content. All olive oil—which is, after all, fat—has 120 calories per tablespoon (33 kJ/mL).
"From hand-picked olives" may indicate that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen in order to increase yield.
"First cold press" means that the oil in bottles with this label is the first oil that came from the first press of the olives. The word "cold" is important because if heat is used, the olive oil's chemistry is changed.
"D.O.P." when applied to Italian olive oil, denotes that the oil is made from olives that are typical of the region from which the oil derives, therefore may have a more characteristic taste than blended oils.

I mix it with balsamic vinegar and use it for topping salads. Adding a little to protein shakes is another. I try and take small amounts spread throughout the day vs slamming a days worth at once.

Sorry for the confusion BPmartyr but i learn best from direct talk. I tryed to read between the lines but i sitll have questions. For me to get optimal benifits from taking olive oil , do i need to cease the light tasting and start with the kind you recommended in the dark jar?

Sorry for the confusion BPmartyr but i learn best from direct talk. I tryed to read between the lines but i sitll have questions. For me to get optimal benifits from taking olive oil , do i need to cease the light tasting and start with the kind you recommended in the dark jar?

The real issue is choosing an oil that is authentic "cold pressed extra virgin" AND stored in a dark bottle. With the USA's ambiguous labeling it can be tough to tell. Once you have genuine oil, storing it in a clear bottle will allow the light to degrade the quality of the oil, so make sure they packaged it correctly.

Olive oil is almost unique among oils in that it can be consumed in the crude form without refining. This has the effect of conserving all its vitamins, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients. Because it contains all these nutrients, including powerful antioxidants, real extra virgin olive oil is beneficial to health and protects us from damage by free radical oxidation. Cell membranes contain fatty acids that are highly susceptible to free radical damage. This damage produces lipid peroxides that can kill the cell. Real olive oil contains polyphenols, vitamin E, and other natural antioxidants that prevent this damage.