According to the world health organization and as of 2020, the leading causes of death worldwide are ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and neonatal conditions (1).

It is widely said these days, “we are what we eat” and “if we give the body what it needs for the first 50 years it will take care of you for the next 50 years” which I can agree on. Now, if we have to consider certain foods like olive oil, with its outstanding health benefits, the oil can directly or indirectly contribute to remedying the majority of the health conditions mentioned above by the WHO.

However, If we have to consider the Mediterranean diet which in some parts consists of over 20 liters of olive oil per person in a year, and the health conditions of the people from the Mediterranean region, then we can conveniently conclude we are what we eat. Numerous studies have been able to correlate the traditional dietary patterns of the people in the Mediterranean region with coronary heart diseases and the results indicated the traditional diet may affect coronary risk (2).

It is also known that the people from the Mediterranean region, especially Greeks and Italians in particular, are known to have the highest life expectancies and the lowest rates of all-cause mortality.

This may be the reason why many today and around the world are incorporating the Mediterranean diets into their eating habits and also looking to source healthy foods from these regions like olive oil. Besides, the health consciousness of people around the world has been growing and health enthusiast have been using their “mega-phones” to preach the goodness of healthy eating and how eating healthy can impact lives all across the world.

Global Olive Oil Market

It is with no doubt the recent statistics point to an increase in the production and export of olive oil across the world. Demand has been on a rise year in year out which can be attributed to some other factors which may not be directly related to the health benefits of olive oil like the price of other vegetable oils and an increase in per capita income.

Traditionally, olive oil which was widely produced in the Mediterranean region was usually traded within the Mediterranean basin but this is not the case today.  As people become aware of the health benefits of olive oil, the demand has been pouring in from all angles in the world until olives which is a Mediterranean crop is now cultivated all over the world. Production has also increased which is as a result of higher global demand.

Looking at the past decade global imports of olive oil increased from $2.2 billion to $5.4 billion between 2000 to 2012 and with an annual growth rate of over 7.5% (3). As of 2020, the global export of olive oil was at about $7.6 trillion USD with an exportation of over 2.4 million tons of olive oil. The annual growth in value between 2019 and 2020 was at 8% which indicates an increase in the demand for olive oil globally.

One of the major factors for the global growth in the olive oil industry has been the promotional programs that support the health and quality characteristics of the olive oil between governments. Government research organizations have been carrying out studies and especially on the health benefits of olive oil with the number one mortal health condition which is heart disease and stroke.

Demand for olive oil globally has been particularly induced by the public and private promotional campaigns engineered in the non-tradition markets and by health enthusiasts. This has also greatly helped to stimulate the interest in olive oil by the public and raising awareness of the health and also the environmental benefits.

The expert panel reveals the future increase in the global demand for olive oil is likely to be induced by the growing interest and increase awareness of the nutritional and dietary properties of the olive oil. Consumption habits are steadily shifting towards healthier and more natural products with a preference towards organic cold-pressed in the case of olive oils.

Global health conditions and the benefits of olive oil.

According to WHO, and at a global level, 7 of the top 10 leading health complications in the world as of 2019 were noncommunicable diseases ranging from heart diseases, stroke, pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, lung cancers, alzheimer’s and some others. Now, we will look at how the use of olive oil can help remedy some of these health conditions.

The WHO indicates 16% of the world’s total death is as a result of coronary heart diseases (4). Coronary heart conditions are caused by narrowed arteries limiting the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscles. Numerous studies have been able to demonstrate how olive oil may help lower the risk of heart diseases. Moreso, other studies have been able to link higher consumption of olive oil with better cardiovascular health especially in the Mediterranean region where the consumption of olive oil is much higher.

A recent study was able to conclude that, eating more than half a tablespoon of olive oil every day may have a 15% less risk of any sort of cardiovascular disease and a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease (5).

The second leading global health complication today is known to be stroke. Stroke is responsible for about 11% of the world’s total death. Researchers and scientists have been able to place a positive link between olive oil and stroke. According to a publication in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, it was indicated that the consumption of olive oil may help prevent stroke in older people. It was concluded that people who use olive oil regularly in booth cooking and dressing had a 41% less risk of stroke compared to others who never used olive oil in their diets (6).

Pulmonary diseases are also a major health complication in the world today. These are respiratory conditions caused by infections due to smoking tobacco, secondhand smoking, asbestos, and a variety of air pollution (7). Pulmonary conditions are responsible for 6% of the world’s global death. Using olive oil may help with Pulmonary diseases in that, it contains monounsaturated fatty acids which are great in reducing inflammation. Also, the presensence of alpha-tocopherol, which is a form of vitamin E may help the lungs to function better (8).

Another study was able to validate the fact that olive oil can help with respiratory health conditions and especially asthma (9) to the presence of Oleic acids in olive oils.

Lower respiratory conditions are also responsible for global deaths and considered and ranked by the WHO as the 4th leading cause of deaths in the world. A compromised immune system is one of the major known risks. Its well known that functional foods like olive oil can help to optimize the immune system and with exercising, the ptotective benefits can be augmented. As viral as these lower respiratory diesases can be, olive oil is also known to carry antiviral characteristics (10).

Tranchea, bronchus, and lung cancers are some non-communicable conditions that are responsible for over 1.8 million deaths as of 2020. Numerous studies have been able to demonstrate how olive oil may help with cancer conditions (11). A study was able to conclude how olive oil can help to decrease lung cancer risk in a hospital-based control study (12).

Alzheimer’s disease and other related forms of dementia are a global health condition and considered the 7th leading cause of global deaths. It is considered the most common neurodegenerative condition in the world and over 65% of the reported cases are women. Certain compounds found in the olive oil have been able to demonstrate potential neuroprotective conditions against Alzheimer’s disease (13) and promising results towards cognitive functionality (14).

According to the WHO, diabetes has stepped up and made it to the list of the top 10 global causes of death with a significant increase of about 70% since 2000 and the largest rise in the cause of male deaths with an 80% increase within the same time period (15). Both clinical trials and observational studies have been able to demonstrate the use of olive oil in combination with a Mediterranean diet can limit the risk of type 2 diabetes (16)

Numerous studies have been able to show how olive oil may have beneficial effects on blood sugar and insulin sensitivity (17). Also, a recent study was able to show the protective effects of olive oil on diabetes and concluded that a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil can reduce the risk of daibetes by 52% (19).

Other health benefits of olive oil may include;

-The presence of antioxidants in olive oil may have anti cancer properties (20)(21).

-Olive oil may help to treat rheumatoid arthritis (22)(23)

-The antibacterial properties of the oil can stand against harmful bacteria (24)(25)

-Olive oil is known to contain a good amount of antioxidants (26)(27)

-Olive oil is packed with healthy monounsaturated fats (28)(29)

– The oil is rich in anti-inflammatory properties (30)(31)

-Olive oil does not contribute to weight gain and obesity (32)(33)

With all the above health benefits many around the world are placing olive oil at the top of their list and considering the Mediterranean diet which encourages the use of olive oil and in high quantities. Also, as many become aware of the outstanding benefits of olive oil the demand for olive oil will turn to increase which will directly affect the supply of olive oil in the world.