Olive oil is the most-tested fat in the human diet
Extra-virgin olive oil at 50 ml a day matched 30 g of nuts in the PREDIMED trial.
In brief
Extra-virgin olive oil is the most-tested cooking fat in cardiovascular trials. PREDIMED found 50 ml a day cut events by 30 percent; the polyphenols, lost in refined grades, are the likely active fraction. Smoke point is fine for everyday cooking.
Cooking fat sits in almost every meal but is the lever most adults change least often. In PREDIMED (Estruch, NEJM, 2018), the arm supplemented with 50 ml per day of extra-virgin olive oil saw a 30 percent reduction in major cardiovascular events versus a low-fat control. The dose corresponds to roughly four tablespoons per day, used across cooking, salads, and drizzling. The trial established the cardiovascular benefit at a level no other single dietary fat has matched in a randomised setting.
Why extra-virgin matters
Olive oil grades differ in their polyphenol content, the polyphenols (oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol) being the most likely active fraction for the cardiovascular effect. Extra-virgin olive oil retains roughly 250 to 800 mg per kg of polyphenols. Refined olive oil loses 90 percent of this during processing. Light olive oil and pomace olive oil retain almost none. For a single bottle, the price difference between extra-virgin and refined is small relative to the bioactive difference.
Cooking with it
A persistent myth claims extra-virgin olive oil is unsuitable for cooking due to smoke point. The smoke point of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil sits at 190 to 210 degrees C, comfortably above shallow frying and most stir-frying. The polyphenols also act as antioxidants, protecting the fat itself from oxidative damage during heating. Sauteing, roasting, simmering, and finishing all work; deep frying at 200+ degrees is the only use case where a higher-smoke-point oil is genuinely needed.
Key Takeaways
- •Extra-virgin olive oil at 50 ml a day produced a 30 percent cardiovascular risk reduction in PREDIMED.
- •Polyphenols (oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol) are the likely active fraction; refined grades lose almost all of them.
- •Smoke point is high enough for most home cooking; only deep frying needs a different oil.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Discuss any changes to your health, medication, diet or exercise with a qualified healthcare professional. Lifefy is a preventative wellness platform and does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition.