One important study showed that Mediterranean people have the lowest rate of heart disease among western nations. This is partly associated with their frequent use of olive oil. Other studies have shown that food cooked in olive oil is healthier, and that eating olive oil twice a day reduces women's risk of getting breast cancer. The world is beginning to understand its benefits, and olive oil is no longer an unusual sight at dinner tables outside the Mediterranean region. The olive oil producing countries now sell large amounts of olive oil to countries in Europe, asia, Africa, and north and south America.