FDA, citing limited studies, says olive oil may boost heart health
WASHINGTON -- Food containing olive oil can carry labels saying it may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, the government said, citing limited evidence from a dozen scientific studies about the benefits of monounsaturated fats.
As long as people do not increase the number of calories they consume daily, they can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when they replace foods high in saturated fat with the monounsaturated fat in olive oil, the Food and Drug Administration said.
That means a change as simple as sauteing food in two tablespoons of olive oil instead of butter may be healthier for your heart.
''Since [coronary heart disease] is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States, it is a public health priority to make sure that consumers have accurate and useful information on reducing their risk," Lester M. Crawford, acting FDA commissioner, said in a statement.
''It's good news for consumers," said Bob Bauer, president of the North American Olive Oil Association, which sought the qualified health claim on Aug. 28, 2003. ''Olive oil is a healthy product to help them fight heart disease."
Recent research has underscored the heart benefits from so-called Mediterranean diets high in unsaturated fats from vegetable oil, nuts and fish such as salmon and tuna. Mortality rates dropped by more than half among elderly Europeans who stuck to such diets and led healthy lifestyles, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in September.
The North American Olive Oil Association included 88 publications to back its claim for the heart-healthy benefits of olive oil. The group wanted to make the claim for monounsaturated fats contained in just one tablespoon of olive oil per day.
Olive oil and certain food containing olive oil can now indicate that ''limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about two tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil," the FDA concluded.
''I think FDA just took a more conservative view," Bauer said.
Manufacturers waited for the FDA's precise wording before revising labels. ''I expect, over time, most every container of olive oil will have this," he said.
Already, American restaurants and consumers drive $450 million in olive oil sales per year. Supermarket sales in 2003 accounted for 132 million pounds of olive oil, up by nearly one-third over the past six years. Bauer said he expects the label change to spur a larger increase in sales.
According to the American Heart Association, coronary heart disease caused 502,189 deaths -- or one in five deaths -- in 2001, the most current statistic available. That year, another 13.2 million Americans survived the heart attacks, chest pains, and other ailments caused by coronary heart disease.
Along with lowering cholesterol, cutting out cigarettes and exercising, the group says Americans can boost heart health by eating foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. An American Heart Association spokeswoman declined to comment on the FDA's action until it reviews the health claim.
The FDA discounted most of the submitted studies because the methodology made it difficult to highlight the effect of the monounsaturated fats in olive oil. Of a dozen studies that survived the cut, four were the most persuasive.
