Sardines in vine leaves. Nutrition experts applaud the Mediterranean diet, known for its reliance on plant proteins, for its health benefits.
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Widely used in Mediterranean-style cooking, olive oil has become almost synonymous with the Mediterranean diet itself. The healthy reputation may be well-deserved, as the authors of the new study note that this component of the regimen appears to confer at least some of it health benefits.
Katz noted that olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat -- a fat that is believed to which lower total cholesterol and, more specifically, levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol in the blood.
But while olive oil may indeed be healthier than other fats -- most notably the saturated fats found in meat and synthetic trans fats found in certain baked goods -- pouring too much of it into your diet can be too much of a good thing.
Olive oil is "a heart-healthy fat, to be sure," said Keith-Thomas Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y. "And it has excellent street cred, but there are some limits."
First of all, Ayoob said, olive oil has just as many calories per gram as other less healthy fats. So while it may not clog your arteries, it could have an unfortunate impact on your waistline.
"The more fat you have, the less food you can eat without gaining weight, so if you need volume in your diet, use olive oil but use it modestly," Ayoob said. "Just a thought, so people don't go out and start pouring olive oil over everything and thinking it'll save them."
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