{"id":19685,"date":"2026-10-02T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/extra-virgin-olive-oil-benefits\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T08:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T08:30:00","slug":"extra-virgin-olive-oil-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/extra-virgin-olive-oil-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Extra Virgin Olive Oil Benefits: What the Science Says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Few foods have been studied as much as extra virgin olive oil. Research in recent decades confirms what the Mediterranean diet had sensed for centuries, although it is worth separating solid evidence from exaggerated promises. This is an honest review of what is known.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"key-points\">\n<p class=\"key-points-title\">In short<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>EVOO is rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat which, when it replaces saturated fats, helps maintain normal cholesterol levels.<\/li>\n<li>Its polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress, an authorised health claim in the European Union and Great Britain.<\/li>\n<li>The PREDIMED trial linked a Mediterranean diet enriched with EVOO to fewer cardiovascular events in high-risk people.<\/li>\n<li>Fresh, early harvest and well-stored oils retain more bioactive compounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>What is in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil<\/h2>\n<p>Olive oil is almost pure fat: a tablespoon (about 10\u201312 g) provides between 90 and 110 kcal. What sets it apart from other fats is its composition:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Oleic acid<\/strong> (omega-9), a monounsaturated fat that usually makes up between 55 and 83% of the total, depending on the variety and the ripeness of the olives.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Polyphenols<\/strong> such as hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein and oleocanthal, responsible for bitterness and pungency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vitamin E<\/strong> (tocopherols), a fat-soluble antioxidant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Other minor compounds<\/strong>: squalene, phytosterols and pigments such as chlorophylls and carotenoids.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These minor compounds make up barely 1\u20132% of the oil, but they are what makes the difference between an extra virgin and a refined oil, which loses most of them during refining.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Heart and cholesterol: the strongest evidence<\/h2>\n<p>The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has assessed the effects of olive oil, and the rules allow two science-based messages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, such as oleic acid, in the diet <strong>contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress<\/strong>. The effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g of an oil that provides at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Beyond these claims, the key study is <strong>PREDIMED<\/strong>, a large trial carried out in Spain with more than 7,000 people at high cardiovascular risk. Those who followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil had around 30% fewer heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths than the group on a low-fat diet.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"note\"><p>Not all oils provide the same amount of polyphenols. It depends on the variety, the timing of the harvest and how the oil was made and stored. Intense oils from <a href=\"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/picual-olive-oil\/\">Picual<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/cornicabra-olive-oil\/\">Cornicabra<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/early-harvest-olive-oil-guide\/\">early harvest<\/a> oils are usually among the richest.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n<h2>Natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds<\/h2>\n<p>Oleocanthal, the compound that produces that characteristic peppery sensation in the throat, has attracted a lot of interest because in the laboratory it shows anti-inflammatory activity similar to ibuprofen. It is a promising line of research, but it does not allow therapeutic effects to be attributed to the oil: a food is no substitute for any treatment.<\/p>\n<p>What is clear is that a fresh, well-stored EVOO keeps its antioxidants better; they protect the oil itself from oxidation and are part of a healthy diet.<\/p>\n\n<h2>In the kitchen: for frying too<\/h2>\n<p>Thanks to its oleic acid and antioxidant content, extra virgin olive oil is very heat-stable and copes well with home frying, which is usually done at between 160 and 180 \u00b0C. Some tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don&#8217;t let it smoke and don&#8217;t heat it more than necessary.<\/li>\n<li>For frequent frying you can use a milder EVOO; save the most aromatic ones for using raw.<\/li>\n<li>Filter the oil after use and discard it when it darkens or smells strong.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>How much and how to have it<\/h2>\n<p>Mediterranean diet guidelines usually suggest around 2\u20134 tablespoons a day, as the main fat and in place of other fats, not in addition to them. To make the most of it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Choose extra virgin from the latest season and use it within a few months of opening.<\/li>\n<li>Use raw oils on toast, salads, soups and vegetables, where their aromas are preserved intact.<\/li>\n<li>Keep it away from light and heat. We explain how in <a href=\"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/how-to-store-olive-oil\/\">how to store olive oil<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>This article is for general information and does not replace the advice of a health professional.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-cta\"><a class=\"btn\" href=\"\/en\/product-category\/organic-extra-virgin-olive-oil\/early-harvest-olive-oil\/\">See early harvest oils<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oleic acid, polyphenols and the PREDIMED study: a careful look at the benefits of extra virgin olive oil, separating solid evidence from myths.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[280],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xn--aceiteolivaespaa-lub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}