Compared to people who almost never ate olive oil, those who consumed at least 7 grams a day had a lower risk of death: by 19 percent for death from cardiovascular disease, by 17 percent from cancer, by 29 percent for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and by 18 percent for respiratory diseases. Those who replaced ten grams of margarine, butter, mayonnaise or milk fat with olive oil every day had an 8 to 34 percent lower risk of dying during the study period.
Prof. Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston concludes: “Olive oil is much healthier than many other dietary fats, especially animal fats. It is the hallmark of the Mediterranean diet and its association with reduced mortality is well documented in southern European countries.”
Of all edible vegetable oils, olive oil has the highest proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, which lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise “good” HDL cholesterol. It has been shown to lower blood pressure and contains anti-inflammatory and other health-promoting compounds. But other vegetable oils such as soybean, rapeseed, corn, safflower or sunflower oil are also good alternatives.
This study, published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, did not differentiate between different types of olive oil, but it is believed that high-quality natural olive oil has particularly good effects. This should be investigated in further studies.
Which: DOI 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.10.041