Olives and olive oil are a key component of the Mediterranean diet: they not only support good health but have been associated with promoting longevity. Data from the Nurses’ Health Study suggests that women who adhere to the Mediterranean diet had longer telomeres in their blood cells.*1 Telomeres are DNA sequences that get shorter when cells divide, so their length is thought to be a measure of a cell’s aging. The project design precluded researchers from establishing a temporal association between dietary habits and telomere length; the single-measure test used prevented the estimation of associations between the Mediterranean diet and telomere attrition rate; the participants predominately included women of Europe ancestry, and telomere dynamics may differ among other ethnicities.**2 The generalizability of the findings is limited because all the study participants lived in a Mediterranean country and were at high cardiovascular risk; whether the results can be generalized to persons at lower risk or to other settings requires further research.***3 This perspective view explores variations in diet and lifestyle that may or may not contribute to mortality rates, monounsaturated fats are a key component contributing to the health effects of the Mediterranean diet but other factors must be considered.****4 The meta-analysis supports a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern being significantly associated with a reduced risk of overall mortality and major chronic disease. Generalizability of the findings is again limited due to the Mediterranean diet not being homogenous, with variations in specific food categories and alcohol intake.

• Vitamin E is an antioxidant which helps protect cells from oxidation and fight off free radicals produced during cellular energy production. A serving of olives has .25 milligrams of Vitamin E.
• The ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body is due to the presence of iron in the blood. A serving of olives has 0.50 milligrams of iron. 
• Vitamin A is needed for new cell growth, healthy skin, hair, tissues, and vision. A serving of olives has 60 IUs of Vitamin A, 1.2% of your daily value of 5,000 IUs.
• Fiber promotes digestive tract health by helping to move food through the system at a healthier pace. A serving of olives has .50 grams of fiber.

A number of studies have shown that plant-based polyphenols (including those from olives) have the potential to reduce inflammation and are linked to a reduced risk for certain chronic diseases. 1*, 2**, 3***.  Of more than 450 foods studied, black olives were among the top 50 polyphenol rich foods and ranked higher than extra virgin olive oil! 4****

1. * Although several biological effects based on epidemiological studies can be scientifically explained, the mechanism of action of some effects of polyphenols is not fully understood.
2. ** To date, there are not enough human studies of large sample size to determine the conditions under which olive phenolics will provide health benefits.
3. *** The generalizability of the findings is limited because all the study participants lived in a Mediterranean country and were at high cardiovascular risk; whether the results can be generalized to persons at lower risk or to other settings requires further research.
4. **** Although polyphenol rich foods have been widely studied for health benefits, total polyphenol concentration may not fully explain associated health effects due to variations in activity of individual polyphenols.
   are of polyphenols: an application of the Phenol-Explorer database. European journal of clinical nutrition, 64, S112-S120.

1. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 27.
2. Pandey, K. B., & Rizvi, S. I. (2009). Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2(5), 270-278.
3. Charoenprasert, S., & Mitchell, A. (2012). Factors influencing phenolic compounds in table olives (Olea europaea). Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 60(29), 7081-7095.
4. Estruch, R., Ros, E., Salas-Salvadó, J., Covas, M. I., Corella, D., Arós, F., ... & Martínez-González, M. A. (2013). Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. New England Journal of Medicine, 368(14), 1279-1290.
5. Pérez-Jiménez, J., Neveu, V., Vos, F., & Scalbert, A. (2010). Identification of the 100 richest dietary sources of polyphenols: an application of the Phenol-Explorer database. European journal of clinical nutrition, 64, S112-S120.