Hippocrates Olive Oil

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, recommended taking olive oil for certain ailments and rubbing it on the body to heal abrasions, invigorate the muscles, and soothe the skin from the drying effects of the Greek climate. 

Today, many health care professionals and people in the food industries claim that it may even reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Late last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved a petition submitted by the North American Olive Oil Association, based in Neptune, N.J., to label olive oil with a qualified health claim that its use might help to prevent heart disease. 

Similar labels appear on certain cereals and several other food products. It is anticipated that manufacturers of other oils will seek the labeling for their products. 

The new labels on olive oil are expected to hit the market soon, and some olive-oil products are already sporting neck tags with the added information. 

"It reaffirms what a lot of people were sure about for many years, that olive oil is a healthy product, and now we have the FDA affirming it," said NAOOA President Bob Bauer. 

The NAOOA spent several years gathering reports from more than 80 clinical intervention studies in the United States and abroad. Findings suggest that maintaining a low-fat diet and replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated olive oil can help reduce the risk for certain types of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke. 

It's not just a matter of replacing harmful fats with a harmless oil. Studies found that the oleic acid in olive oil may actually lower the levels of the harmful low-density lipoproteins, LDL, that can lead to high cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease. 

Olive oil is also rich in iron, and vitamins A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E and K. 

The olive's known history began in Asia Minor and spread to Iran, Syria, Palestine and the Mediterranean basin 6,000 years ago. Olive trees are among the oldest trees in the world, and the ones on Mount Olive, in Jerusalem, are said to be 2,000 years old. 

In addition to being consumed as food, olive oil also holds tradition in many religious ceremonies such as baptisms and anointing the dead. When North America was developing, Franciscan missionaries planted olive trees in California, where the climate was similar to the Mediterranean area. 

According to the U.S. Foreign Trade Division, in 2003 the United States imported a total of 454 million pounds of virgin and refined olive oil, valued at $519 million. 

The NAOOA estimates that olive oil is used in nearly 40 million American homes. 

"Supermarket sales have grown 31 percent over six years, and have gone up tenfold in the last 20 years," Bauer said. 

Local sales have soared, too. 

"It used to be that if you put olive oil on the shelf, it would sit forever," said Fred Mazur, director of new business and director of perishables at the George DeLallo Company, in Greensburg. "But we've seen a tremendous increase -- over 800 percent in the last 10 years. Today, people know that olive oil is healthy." 

DeLallo's is a family operation that distributes products in 49 states. It imports oil exclusively from Italian olives, not from blended oils grown elsewhere and pressed in Italy. It also owns an olive orchard in California, which produces bulk olives sold in supermarket displays. 

Local restaurants are feeding an increasing interest. 

"We have quite a few requests to have things cooked in olive oil that would generally be cooked with margarine or butter," said Bill Mangan, sous chef at Vallozzi's, in Hempfield Township. 

Rizzi DeFabo, one of the family owners of Rizzo's Malabar Inn, in Crabtree, remembers when olive oil was so expensive that his grandmother hid it in a closet and brought it out only for special occasions. 

Now it's very popular with the restaurant's patrons. 

"We had been using about 500 gallons a year for our sauces and other things, and that's increased by about 100 gallons because people are requesting it for their salads and for dipping bread," DeFabo said. 

Local hospital nutritionist are recommending olive oil to patients with high cholesterol. 

"We've been encouraging them to use olive oil as their source of fat for quite a while," said Laureen Lowry, chief clinical dietitian at Excela's Latrobe Area Hospital. "But they still cannot exceed the total of fat (recommended) in their diets." 

The department serves hospitalized patients before they leave, and outpatients who seek dietary counseling. Some advice is based on the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in beans, legumes, nuts and fish -- rather than meats. It uses olive oil for cooking, baking and in salads. 

"It does look like olive oil itself will actually reduce LDL," said Jean Hurst, a registered dietitian at Excela's Westmoreland Regional Hospital, in Greensburg. "But people should not add two tablespoons to what they are already eating, which would increase the fat overall." 

Patients sometimes ask her which oil is best and what the differences are. 

"The qualified health claim was approved by the FDA because the olive-oil people got their petition in," she said. "At some point, there might be qualified health claims for other oils, like canola or peanut oil that are also monounsaturated fats but that have not been evaluated by the FDA." 

None of the oils, not even olive oil, will promote good health if the overall diet is unhealthy and physical activity is minimal. 

"If you are eating a really high-fat diet," Hurst said, "don't look to olive oil to solve your problems."