It does not only add great flavor to salads, pastas, sauces and vegetables but has health advantages over other oils. Olive oil is the main ingredient of the Mediterranean Diet which is one of the healthiest diets according to statistics. Death rates from heart disease in Mediterranean countries are lower than in the United States.
Olive oil is monounsatured so it has no satured fat.
On the other hand, satured fats raise blood cholesterol and cause a major risk for coronary heart disease. Still, of all the vegetable oils, olive oil is the most hearty and the natural one. Olive oil is a good source of Vitamin E which is a natural antioxidant. Antioxidants have beneficial effects such as lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and risk of coronary disease. It also has Vitamin K which plays an important role in blood clotting.