New Health Claim for Olive Oil

The Food and Drug Administration announced the availability of a qualified health claim for monounsaturated fat from olive oil and reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).There is limited but not conclusive evidence that suggests that consumers may reduce their risk of CHD if they consume monounsaturated fat from olive oil and olive oil-containing foods in place of foods high in saturated fat, while at the same time not increasing the total number of calories consumed daily.“Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product [name of food] contains [x] grams of olive oil.”Here are the key points for consumers to consider:• Olive oil is a calorie-dense food.• This means that consumption should be limited if you are trying to watch your weight.• Use oils sparingly when cooking and eating.• Remember the most important advice with this health claim: REPLACE saturated fat consumption with monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, AND?DO?NOT increase calorie consumption.Take a look at our graphs on this page and you will see that when it comes to calories and saturated fat, reduced-calorie margarine is clearly a better choice. It is lower in calories, fat and saturated fat than butter, olive oil or regular margarine FMI see www.fda.gov.