ABSTRACT
After decades of epidemiological, clinical, and experimental research, consumption of specic dietary patterns has a profound inuence on health outcomes. The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the most health-promoting dietary patterns and it has been associated with numerous health benets. The consequence of the consumption of the Mediterranean diet for centuries is the observed increased longevity and the lower incidence of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative conditions in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean sea (Huang and Sumpio 2008, Lairon 2007, Pérez-Jiminez et al. 2007). The ingredients of the dietary pattern vary somewhat between different cultures of the Mediterranean countries, but they all have olive oil as a common factor, with approximately 90% of world production of olive oil originating in this geographical area (Huang and Sumpio 2008). Since the Seven Countries Study (Keys et al. 1986), the numerous investigations of the contribution of olive oil to the effects on health of the Mediterranean diet have demonstrated that it has a benecial inuence on a wide range of processes and risk factors (Huang and Sumpio 2008, Lairon 2007, Serra-Majem et al. 2004), and thus it is recognized as a key element in this respect. Today, there is a rm and reliable experimental base supporting the benecial effects of olive oil. In fact, a recent study has demonstrated that long-term consumption of a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil or nuts can protect against the incidence of major cardiovascular events, like myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes, in a population with a high cardiovascular risk (Estruch et al. 2013).
