Study found that virgin olive oil is better for heart health than “non-virgin” olive oil

Researchers from five European countries, led by a Spanish researcher, studied 200 healthy male participants and assigned them to a diet with three different varieties of olive oil for three weeks. Blood glucose, cholesterol, oxidative damage as well as serum antioxidant levels were analyzed. Researchers found that a diet rich in virgin olive oil higher in polyphenol content does the most to improve the good HDL cholesterol as compared to processed “non-virgin” refined olive oils. The results of this study were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in September 2006.

Editor’s Note – Olive oil is more than good fat

With the increasing popularity of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, olive oil has become one of the most studied cooking oil. Rich in the good monounsaturated fats, olive oil has been identified as a heart disease preventative as it lowers cholesterol. This new study revealed that not only the high monounsaturated fat content found in olive oil is responsible for the potential heart benefits. Virgin olive oil also has a polyphenol compound that may play a role in heart health as well. Polyphenol, a type of antioxidant, may protect our body from free radical damage. The more “virgin” or less processed the olive oil, the more polyphenol compound it contains. This may explain why virgin olive oil appears to offer more heart-healthy than non-virgin olive oils.

For more info, read Top 10 Good Cooking Oils.

The Bottom Line

This study is a rather small study involving only 200 individuals. Therefore, do not make any conclusion yet about virgin olive oil being better than refined olive oil. The lead scientist of this study cautioned that larger clinical trials are needed to investigate virgin olive oil and its health benefits.

Gloria Tsang, RD

Alumni: University of British Columbia – Gloria Tsang is the author of 6 books and the founder of HealthCastle.com, the largest online nutrition network run by registered dietitians. Her work has appeared in major national publications, and she is a regularly featured nutrition expert for media outlets across the country. The Huffington Post named her one of its Top 20 Nutrition Experts on Twitter. Gloria’s articles have appeared on various media such as Reuters, NBC & ABC affiliates, The Chicago Sun-Times, Reader’s Digest Canada, iVillage and USA Today.