Abstract/Summary

This review describes the types of lipids in human diets and their possible implications for health and disease. The high oleate and significant linoleate contents of olive oil are important for nutrition; moreover, when olive oil is used for deep-fat frying, as in a typ- ical “Mediterranean Diet”, then many of its desirable properties are retained and there is much less deterioration than for some other cooking oils. The health-promoting ef- fects of olive oil have been cited anecdotally for many years. However, as highlighted in this review, the scientific basis for these effects is still unclear. In this review, partic- ular attention is paid to obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer and inflammatory dis- eases. There is good evidence that olive oil is protective in cardiovascular diseases. Its mechanism of action may involve effects on blood lipids, but other mechanisms, in- cluding effects on immune function, endothelial function and the coagulation pathways remain possible and are discussed. The effects of olive oil in obesity and cancer are less clear. Finally, many questions still remain about the potential health effects of the many non-lipid components of olive oil.