Olive Oil – Arguably the Healthiest Fat

Now that I’m an olive oil enthusiast, it’s hard to imagine that just a handful of years ago I avoided using it at all.  My avoidance in the past largely came from following the recommendation of Forks over Knives, which champions a whole-food, plant-based diet (which I love!).  But Forks over Knives admonishes against the use of olive oil based on the claim that olive oil (along with all oils) is not healthy for the heart because it damages endothelial function (the barrier cells between your blood and body tissue)—and endothelial dysfunction is a well-trodden pathway toward cardiovascular disease.  You can check out the Forks over Knives rationale here. 

But, I’ve always been skeptical about eliminating olive oil.  After all, it’s a hallmark of the gold-standard Mediterranean diet!  So while I do love Forks over Knives, and use their recipes often, I just haven’t been able get on board with banning olive oil.  There are just too many studies touting its benefits.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil

1.  Olive oil is loaded with antioxidants.  Antioxidants are the health holy grail, right?  By definition, antioxidants inhibit oxidation (a form of degradation), and they are our warriors against free radicals, which are greedy little electrons floating around our bodies searching for electrons to steal, and damaging our cells in the process. When we think of antioxidant food sources, most of us think of dark-colored fruits and veggies, but antioxidants are found in abundance in whole foods across the spectrum, including olives (and therefore olive oil).  The primary antioxidants in olive oil are phenolic antioxidants (i.e. polyphenols, which are thought to help prevent blood clots, reduce blood sugar levels, lower heart disease risk, promote brain function, improve digestion, and be cancer-protective).

2.  Olive oil is anti-inflammatory.  Inflammation, standing alone, isn’t a bad thing.  We need inflammation, like fevers, to fight illness.  It’s chronic inflammation that’s the issue.  Chronic inflammatory stress on our bodies can lead to a wide spectrum of health issues and disease.  So any help we can get from nutrition is important.  Turmeric, for example, is an anti-inflammatory powerhouse.  And while I may be a freak about using turmeric every day (see my prior post about my love for turmeric here!), olive oil is much easier to incorporate into the diet on a daily basis.  And it’s the phenolic compounds in olive oil that have anti-inflammatory effects. One compound in particular, called oleocanthal, “possesses similar anti-inflammatory properties to ibuprofen,” according to this PubMed study.  Olive oil also reduces inflammation and oxidative damage in the brain, conditions that can lead to neurodegeneration, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s.  This Oxford University Press article goes into more helpful detail about the gut microbiome/brain connection and the role of olive oil in reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.

3.  Olive oil does appear to improve heart health.  There are a significant number of highly reputable studies that conclude olive oil is beneficial for heart health.  This PubMed study, for example, found that “olive oil consumption, specifically the extra-virgin variety, is associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality in individuals at high cardiovascular risk.”  Also check out this abstract, which concludes that an “olive oil rich diet protects human health from cardiovascular diseases (cardiometabolic markers such as blood pressure, glycaemia and dyslipidemia, notably by reducing LDL cholesterol and LDL oxidation).”  That said, if you do some digging, you’ll definitely find conflicting opinions and rationale.  Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide!

Some tips:

1.  Always opt for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).  Olive oil can be refined (its most processed form), virgin, or extra virgin, with extra virgin being the least processed and most pure form of olive oil.  Consistent with the idea that we should avoid processed foods (which contain added chemicals and ingredients stripped of their goodness), we should opt for the least processed form of olive oil.

2.  Choose organic.  It’s no revelation that non-organic olive oils come from non-organic olives, and therefore are more likely to contain pesticides, which massively disrupt our normal bodily functions.  Like produce, choose organic EVOO whenever possible.

3.  Choose oil from one region.  I recently listened to a podcast featuring an olive oil expert, whose family has grown olives in Spain and produced olive oil for decades.  One of his top tips for choosing an olive oil was to choose oil produced in a single region.  I’d never noticed before that the “Mediterranean” EVOO I’d purchased for so long, while organic, was made in multiple countries and was ultimately an amalgamation of product.  When you purchase oil produced in a single region, you’re going to get the purest, highest quality, tastiest form of olive oil.

4.  Make sure to store your oil in a dark bottle away from heat.  Olive oil, unlike wine, doesn’t improve with age.  And light and heat both degrade olive oil and reduce its shelf-life.  So make sure to choose dark glass or stainless steel if you’re transferring oil into your own container, and don’t keep it too close to the stove or another heat or light source (like a window).

5.  Aim for two tablespoons a day.  Good fats like olive oil help to lower our bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise our good cholesterol (HDL).  But, as with everything, moderation is key.  Studies show that aiming for just two tablespoons a day is sufficient to reap the benefits olive oil has to offer.  Not even olive oil aficionados condone drenching your food.  Just a little dab’ll do ya!

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While I personally feel the weight of evidence supports the health benefits of olive oil, it’s still debated in the health community.  It’s definitely something to research and decide for yourself.  But I think looking at the populations with the most robust health and fewest incidences of cancers, heart disease, and dementia, like the Mediterranean, is a pretty good place to start!

Go get your drizzle on!