The Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health study found that eating olive oil reduces adult mortality. Specifically, the findings revealed that eating more than half a tablespoon of olive oil reduces the risk of various diseases. When adults ingest this amount of oil in their diet, the risk of mortality from cancer, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases decreases.
Furthermore, the authors found that replacing about 10 grams per day of dairy fats, such as margarine, butter and mayonnaise, with an equivalent amount of olive oil reduced the risk of mortality.
The results of the study appear in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“Our findings support current dietary recommendations to increase intake of olive oil and other unsaturated vegetable oils,” said Marta Guasch-Ferré, Ph.D., senior research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at the School of Public Health and Public Health. TH Chan from Harvard. main author of the study.
“Doctors should advise patients to replace certain fats, such as margarine and butter, with olive oil to improve their health. Our study helps make more specific recommendations that will be easier for patients to understand and hopefully implement in their diets.”
A study reveals that eating olive oil reduces the death rate of adults
The team recruited participants from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. In all, they analyzed health data from 60,582 women and 31,801 men who had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer when the study began in 1990.
Over 28 years of follow-up, participants reported any dietary changes on questionnaires. They were asked how often they ate certain foods, such as fats and oils. Additionally, they tracked which brands and types they used for cooking.
The researchers calculated olive oil consumption by adding three items to the questionnaire. They took the sum of what was used to season salads, added to food or bread, and what was used for baking or frying. One tablespoon equaled 13.5 grams.
They also measured participants’ consumption of other vegetable oils based on the brand and type used for cooking.
Additionally, the team considered margarine and butter intake based on reported consumption of stick, can, or soft margarine. They also added the amount of margarine or butter that the participants used for baking or frying. Finally, they totaled the participants’ consumption of other dairy, fat, and nutrients.
After analyzing these results, the team found that olive oil consumption increased from 1.6 grams/day in 1990 to almost 4 grams/day in 2010. In contrast, margarine consumption dropped from around 12 grams/day in 1990 to nearly 4 grams/day in 2010. Intake of other types of fat has remained the same.
The researchers ranked consumption using these metrics:
- Never or <1 time per month
- >0 to ≤4.5 grams/day (>0 to ≤1 teaspoon)
- >4.5 to ≤7 grams/day (>1 teaspoon to ≤1/2 tablespoon)
- >7 grams/day (>1/2 tablespoon)
During the 28-year follow-up period, there were 36,856 deaths: 22,768 in the Nurses’ Health Study and 14,076 in the Health Professionals Study. The researchers noticed some important differences between those who consumed the highest amounts of olive oil and those who ate the least.
Main findings of the study on olive oil consumption
Participants with high olive oil consumption generally exercised frequently, did not smoke, ate more fruits and vegetables, and were of Mediterranean or Southern European heritage. In the highest category, average total olive oil consumption measured around 9 grams per day at baseline. However, this only included 5% of the study volunteers.
The researchers then compared those who rarely or never ate olive oil with those in the highest consumption category. Participants who ate half a tablespoon or more a day had noticeable health benefits. The risk of cardiovascular, cancer, neurodegenerative and respiratory mortality was reduced by 19%, 17%, 29% and 18%, respectively.
Furthermore, the study found that replacing about 10 grams per day of dairy fat with olive oil reduced the risk of total and cause-specific mortality by 8 to 34%. However, they did not notice a difference when replacing olive oil with other vegetable oils.
What the experts said:
“It is possible that higher olive oil consumption is a marker of a healthier diet and higher socioeconomic status. However, even after adjusting for these and other socioeconomic status factors, our results remained basically the same,” said Guasch-Ferré.
“Our study cohort was predominantly a non-Hispanic white population of healthcare professionals, which should minimize potentially confounding socioeconomic factors, but may limit generalizability, as this population is more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle.”
Although further studies with a larger population are needed, these results confirm the health benefits of olive oil. Doctors have been touting the oil for years for its ability to reduce the risk of heart disease, ease inflammation, and provide healthy fats. However, this study leaves some questions unanswered.
In an accompanying editorial, Susanna C. Larsson, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said the following:
“The current study and previous studies have found that consuming olive oil may have health benefits. However, several questions remain. Are the associations causal or spurious? Does olive oil consumption protect against some cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and atrial fibrillation, alone or also against other important diseases and causes of death? How much olive oil is needed for a protective effect? More research is needed to address these questions.”
Final thoughts on the study that explains the relationship between eating olive oil and improving health
You are probably much healthier if you consume a lot of olive oil. A new study shows that eating half a tablespoon a day can greatly reduce adult mortality rates. Specifically, researchers found that high olive oil consumption decreased death rates from cancer and neurodegenerative, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases.
It is quite easy to include olive oil in your diet, as it is versatile and complements many dishes. Try it in salads, grilled or sautéed vegetables, or as a substitute for butter in baked goods. No matter how you like it, you can feel good knowing you’re improving your health.
By Kristen Lawrence. Article in English