Olive

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Heart and diabetes risk²

  Eating more olive oil was linked to lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and early death, but not cancer.

• Benefit

  Blood cholesterol levels³

  In people, canola oil lowered LDL and total cholesterol more than olive oil did.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood vessel health⁴

  In people, extra virgin olive oil seems to lower heart attacks and strokes by calming inflammation and helping blood vessels widen.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after meals⁶

  In obese women, frying food in extra-virgin olive oil lowered insulin and C-peptide responses after eating.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria and heart health⁷

  Olive oil may help gut bacteria, which could support heart and brain health, but scientists are still studying how.

• Open question

  Chemical in stored oil⁸

  Olive oil kept in plastic had more BPA, a chemical also found in some packaging.

• Open question

  Brain and nerve health⁹

  Olive oil is being studied for whether it can lower the risk of brain diseases like Parkinson's.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Mouth and skin allergy⁵

  A woman got itchy mouth and hives after eating olive fruit, years after olive pollen allergy.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.