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Olive oil: What are the health benefits?
By Mayo Clinic staff
- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Question
Olive oil: What are the health benefits?
What are the health benefits of olive oil? Is extra-virgin oil better than regular olive oil?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
When choosing fats, olive oil is a healthy choice. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat, a healthier type of fat that can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in your blood.
In contrast, saturated and trans fats — such as butter, animal fats, tropical oils and partially hydrogenated oils — increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL cholesterol levels.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consuming about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day may reduce your risk of heart disease. You can get the most benefit by substituting olive oil for saturated fats rather than just adding more olive oil to your diet.
All types of olive oil contain monounsaturated fat, but "extra-virgin" or "virgin" olive oils are the least processed forms, so they're the most heart healthy. Those types contain the highest levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant that also can promote heart health.
Next questionHigh-fructose corn syrup: What are the concerns?
- Covas MI, et al. The effect of polyphenols in olive oil on heart disease risk factors. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2006;145:333.
- Fito M, et al. Anti-inflammatory effect of virgin olive oil in stable coronary disease patients: A randomized, crossover, controlled trial. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;62:570.
- FDA allows qualified health claim to decrease risk of coronary heart disease. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/new01129.html. Accessed Feb. 13, 2009.
- Visioli F, et al. Biological properties of olive oil phytochemicals. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2002;42:209.
