Researchers found that the real benefit of the Mediteranean diet was the healthy foods they ate (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and fish) and that they ate LESS RED MEAT, dairy than the typical American diet, and that the benefit was NOT from the olive oil. They ate TWICE the amount of vegetables than the typical American. When olive oil was factored out, morbidity and mortality didn't change. So, they were healthy not "because" of the olive oil, but "in spite" of it.
(olive oil is crapola too)
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and survival in a Greek population.
N Engl J Med. 2003 Jun 26;348(26):2599-608
Trichopoulou A, Costacou T, Bamia C, Trichopoulos D.
The traditional Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts, and cereals (that in the past were largely unrefined), and a high intake of olive oil but a low intake of saturated lipids, a moderately high intake of fish (depending on the proximity of the sea), a low-to-moderate intake of dairy products (and then mostly in the form of cheese or yogurt), a low intake of meat and poultry,
ITS THE PLANTS!! GIVE BEEF DA BOOT!!
