Research

Mixed

High baseline consumption of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is associated with a significantly reduced risk of major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death) in individuals at high cardiovascular risk.

If you are at high risk for heart disease, incorporating extra-virgin olive oil into your daily diet (aiming for roughly 3-4 tablespoons or more per day if possible, as seen in the highest benefit group) is associated with a significantly lower risk of heart attacks and strokes. Ensure you are using extra-virgin quality to get the protective polyphenols, as refined olive oil did not show the same benefit.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Participants in the highest energy-adjusted tertile of baseline total olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil consumption had 35% (HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.89) and 39% (HR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.85) cardiovascular disease risk reduction, respectively, compared to the reference.
Marta Guasch‐Ferré et al. · BMC Medicine · 2014

Why this rating

Based on a large, multicenter, randomized controlled trial (PREDIMED) with rigorous adjudication, though this specific analysis is observational within the trial framework.

Source

Olive oil intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the PREDIMED Study

Marta Guasch‐Ferré et al. · BMC Medicine · 2014

DOI 10.1186/1741-7015-12-78

cohort · n=7216Cited 371×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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