Sonoma Diet states:
Research has made clear that a major reason for southern Europeans' low rate of heart disease is their liberal use of olive oil as their main source of dietary fat.
The kind of fat that olive oil is mostly made of (monounsaturated fat) actually lowers your levels of the bad LDL cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides. The fats you'll be limiting (saturated fat) and avoiding (partially hydrogenated trans fats) raise those levels. The healthy fat alone qualifies olive oil as a Power Food par excellence.
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease) states:
NO OIL! Not even olive oil, which goes against a lot of other advice out there about so-called good fats. The reality is that oils are extremely low in terms of nutritive value. They contain no fiber, no minerals and are 100% fat calories. And above all they contain saturated fat which immediately injures the endothelial lining of the arteries when eaten. It doesn't matter whether it's olive oil, corn oil, or any other kind of oil. You should not consume any oil if you have heart disease
My thought: If I had heart disease, which I do not, I would most definitely follow Dr. Esselstyn's plan.