ABSTRACT
Olive oil, which is extracted from the fruits of the tree Olea europaea, is of very old origin. The olive tree is prehistoric and its real home can be considered the Mediterranean area. The study of the changing diet of Crete is helpful in understanding the role of olive oil in heart disease. In the mid-1970s, the risk factors for myocardial infarction had risen rapidly in the rural and urban populations of Crete. The total serum cholesterol levels of middle-aged adult Cretans increased 25% over cholesterol levels in the early 1960s. This change can be attributed to the progressive shift in the traditional diet, a diet which had remained uniform for nearly 4000 years. Indeed, olive oil intake accounted for 32.6% of total daily energy intake in 1960 and only 21.7% in 1979.
