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Research links olive oil to lowering blood pressure. LDL cholesterol —which is considered the “bad” version— and inflammation; and increased HDL cholesterol, considered the “good” type; and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline.
It is not necessary to consume a lot. TO 2022 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology A study of about 92,000 people found that consuming more than 1½ teaspoons of olive oil a day reduced the risk of dying prematurely from any cause by 19 percent compared to consuming less.
The power of extra virgin olive oil
In the United States, you will see bottles of olive oil labeled “extra virgin” and simply “olive oil.” Both are high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease. But extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has additional health benefits.
It contains more than 200 antioxidant plant compounds, including polyphenols, which research suggests are responsible for much of the oil’s positive effects (as well as its distinctive flavor). Polyphenols may help reduce inflammation in the body, which is thought to contribute to a number of chronic conditions, from heart disease to type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. (See CR test results of the best EVOO.)
Regular olive oil has almost none of these compounds and doesn’t improve health in the same way as EVOO, says Mary M. Flynn, associate professor of medicine at Miriam Hospital and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, who has studied olive oil. from a health perspective for more than 25 years.
TO review article Conducted by Flynn and his colleagues published in the journal Nutrients in 2023, it concluded that consuming two tablespoons of EVOO per day can produce improvements in blood pressure and HDL and LDL cholesterol levels in just three weeks.
and a 2023 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who consumed 1½ tablespoons of EVOO per day were 57 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease compared to those who ate nothing. Consuming the same amount of regular olive oil did not have this benefit.
The differences are due to the way the oils are produced. EVOO is not refined. It’s made through a completely mechanical process that “isn’t that different from squeezing oranges to make orange juice,” says chemist Selina Wang, a cooperative extension associate professor in the department of food science and technology at the University of California at Davis, and an expert trained in olive oil analysis. This preserves the antioxidants. Regular olive oil, on the other hand, is further processed in a way that reduces its antioxidant content.
EVOO vs. other types of oils
So does all of this make EVOO a better choice than other oils you might use for cooking, baking, and eating, like canola, safflower, soybean, corn, sunflower, peanut, or just “vegetable” oil?
There is a consensus among experts that EVOO is one of the healthiest oils you can choose and some studies have suggested that it has an advantage over other oils. For example, the researchers found that in Greek men and women over 70 years of age, exclusive use of olive oil in food preparation and cooking was related to higher scores on a scale of attributes of successful aging (such as a good index body mass and participation in social activities). activities), compared to those who did not use olive oil and those who used olive oil and other fats. He study, which was published in 2019 in the journal Foodsanalyzed dietary data from more than 3,300 people.
Still, it is not definitive that olive oil is the best.
“I’m not aware of any solid data that indicates olive oil is better than other mostly unsaturated oils,” said Alice Lichtenstein, senior scientist at the USDA Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. Much of the research on olive oil was done in studies that examined the diets of large groups of people and tracked health outcomes over time. But, Lichtenstein says, while these observational studies are important, they can only show associations, not cause and effect.
“It is likely that other parts of the Mediterranean diet also contribute to the health benefits attributed specifically to olive oil,” says Lichtenstein. And other vegetable oils can be healthy too. Soybean and canola oils, for example, are good sources of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant form of omega-3, which may protect against heart disease; olive oil has almost none.
The established: Replacing saturated fats, such as butter or coconut oil, with unsaturated fats in our diet is healthier. TO 2017 American Heart Association Presidential Notice published in Circulation concluded that using polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats instead of saturated fats would help reduce heart disease. So, Lichtenstein says, olive oil is a good choice, but you can use any vegetable oil you want.
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