THE ESSENTIAL
- The French consume about 120,000 tons of olive oil each year. They do well: olive oil provides many long-term benefits, especially when used to replace animal fats.
- Replacing 10 grams per day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise and milk fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil is associated with an 8-34% lower risk of premature death and total mortality, according to this study.
Olive oil, a mainstay of mediterranean diet, has not finished proving its health benefits. Already, in 2020, a study concluded that consuming half a tablespoon of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. In 2022, a studyreported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologyagain confirms it: a higher consumption of olive oil is associated with a longer life expectancy, especially when it is used to replace margarine, butter, mayonnaise and dairy fat.
Olive oil is healthier than other dietary fats
“Olive oil is a much healthier substitute for dietary fats, especially animal fats”said Dr. Frank Hu, one of the study’s authors, in a communiqué. People who ate more than half a tablespoon a day had higher rates of premature death – due to cardiovascular illnessesAlzheimer’s disease and other diseases – lower than those of people who never or rarely consumed it.
The study was conducted on 60,582 American women and 31,801 men, who were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer at baseline, with a follow-up period of 28 years. Their diet was assessed by a questionnaire taking place every 4 years. During these 28 years, 36,856 deaths have occurred. Higher olive oil consumption was associated with a 19% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality and a 17% lower risk of cancer mortality. The researchers also found that the risk of death from neurodegenerative disease was reduced by 29% and by 18% for the risk of death from respiratory disease. Finally, replacing 10 grams per day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise, and dairy fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil was associated with an 8–34% lower risk of premature death and total mortality. .
Nutrition: the many benefits of olive oil
Olive oil brings large amounts ofunsaturated fatty acids, a good fat for lowering bad cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. It also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
There are several types of olive oil. Virgin olive oil, or extra virgin (which has more flavor and is less acidic than virgin), is the fatty fraction of olive juice extracted only by mechanical and physical processes without any refinement. It is the lack of refinement that maintains both its taste and its health benefits. Regular olive oil, on the other hand, has been refined, bleached, deodorized and then blended with 5% to 15% virgin oil.
This recent study did not distinguish between these types of olive oil, but European studies have shown better health outcomes with virgin and extra virgin olive oil which contain a higher amount of olive oil. antioxidants.