Those who consume olive oil daily have a lower risk of early death from all causes than those who don't, according to a recent study. In addition, diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and even cancer can be prevented by consuming olive oil. Researchers found that higher amounts of olive oil reduced the risk of premature death, according to a study from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, published in January 2022 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. They also found that olive oil is a better source of healthy fats than animal fats.
Previous studies on olive oil and health have focused on populations in Europe and the Mediterranean, where olive oil consumption tends to be higher. However, this is the first study to examine the link between olive oil consumption and mortality in the United States.
Marta Guasch-Ferré, senior scientist in the department of nutrition at Harvard Chan School, said: “Olive oil consumption has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but the association with premature death was unclear… Ours Results confirm current nutritional recommendations to replace animal fats with vegetable oils to prevent chronic disease and premature death.”
The researchers analyzed data from two studies conducted between 1990 and 2018 — one involving 60.582 female nurses and the other involving 31.801 male health professionals — that followed participants for nearly 40 years. All participants were healthy to begin with and had no cardiovascular disease or cancer. Every four years, all participants completed a diet questionnaire to measure and record what they ate. The researchers found that 36.856 participants died during the study period.
After the study, participants were asked about their olive oil consumption and how often they incorporated it into their meals. The results of the study found that people who consumed more than seven grams of olive oil daily had a 19% reduced risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, a 17% reduced risk of cancer mortality , had a 29% reduced risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases and an 18% reduced risk of death from respiratory diseases compared to people who never or rarely consumed olive oil.
When comparing olive oil to other vegetable oils, there is no difference in terms of health benefits; Olive oil has been shown to be healthier than butter, mayonnaise, or milk fat and is associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
“Clinicians should advise their patients to replace certain fats such as margarine and butter with olive oil to improve their health,” emphasizes Guasch-Ferré. “Our study helps provide specific recommendations that are easy for patients to understand and that they can hopefully incorporate into their diet.
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Higher olive oil consumption linked to lower risk of premature death
