Extra virgin olive oil
Olea europaea
Supplements. Middle Eastern & Unani and Modern nutrition.
Also called EVOO, Virgin olive oil, Cold-pressed olive oil
Pinyin: gǎn lǎn yóu
Spanish: Aceite de oliva virgen extra
Oil pressed from olives, the main fat of Mediterranean cooking, promoted for heart health.
Did you know? Some olive trees in the Mediterranean are thought to be more than 1,000 years old.
What it may help, and how strong the proof is
- Cholesterol. Swapping butter or other saturated fats for extra virgin olive oil lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol in several trials.Good proof
- Heart health. The large PREDIMED trial found fewer heart attacks and strokes on a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil. The trial had randomization problems and was republished in 2018, and the oil was part of a whole diet.Early proof
Parts of the body
Traditional use
Olive oil has been used in the Mediterranean and Middle East for thousands of years, for food, lamp fuel, skin care and religious rites.
How it is classified
- Herbal actions
- Nutritive, Antioxidant. Energy: neutral.
How people take it
PREDIMED's olive oil group used roughly 4 tablespoons (about 50 grams) a day within a Mediterranean diet. Smaller daily amounts are used in everyday cooking.
Oil and food.
Where to get it
Pressed from olives grown around the Mediterranean, and also in California, Chile and Australia. Some store oils fail quality tests, so look for a harvest date and a trusted seal.
Be careful
Olive oil is safe for most people in food amounts. It is high in calories (about 120 per tablespoon), so portion size matters. Olive allergy is rare.
Avoid if: olive allergy.
Mixing with other things
- Works well together
Olive oil and garlic are staples of Mediterranean cooking.
- Works well together
Fat from olive oil helps the body absorb lycopene from tomatoes.
- Works well together
Olive oil helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins from vegetables like asparagus.
The honest take
Extra virgin olive oil is a healthy fat, and swapping it for butter has good proof for LDL. Its heart benefit comes mostly from the whole Mediterranean diet, not from the oil alone. Some oils sold as extra virgin fail quality tests, so buy from trusted sources.