A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that people who eat more olive oil may have healthier hearts. Though the health benefits of olive oil have been studied in the past — particularly the olive-oil-heavy Mediterranean diet — this is the first study that has looked at people in the US.
The new study followed more than 90,000 Americans between 1990 and 2014. They were asked about their diet at the start of the study and every four years throughout the 24-year period. Researchers recorded the number of people who developed heart diseases.
After considering diet and lifestyle factors, the researchers found that those who consume more than half a tablespoon — or about 7.5 milliliters — of olive oil a day had a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18% lower risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who had no olive oil in their diet.
The study also looked at people who used olive oil instead of margarine, butter, mayonnaise or dairy fat. It was found that switching to olive oil could lower the risk of heart disease by 5% to 7%. But little difference was found between eating olive oil and other plant oils like corn oil or soybean oil.
However, Dr. Benjamin Hirsh of Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital said that other lifestyle changes may have affected the results as well. He told Healthline that people who switched to olive oil may have also changed other things like eating healthier foods or exercising more, so olive oil may not be the only explanation for the lowered risk of heart disease.
