The Biggest Olive-Oil Health Study Yet
In January 2022, a Harvard study of more than 92,000 Americans linked just over half a tablespoon of olive oil a day to lower mortality. Striking numbers — with one honest caveat about what they mean.
What was studied
Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the Harvard study tracked 60,582 women and 31,801 men over 28 years. Those eating more than 7 g of olive oil a day had a 19% lower risk of total and cardiovascular death, 17% lower cancer death and 29% lower neurodegenerative death than those who rarely used it.
These are big, consistent numbers from a huge sample — but it’s an observational cohort, so it shows strong association, not proof of cause (people who use olive oil also tend to eat and live differently). Still, it fits a deep body of evidence. The fair reading: swapping butter or margarine for good olive oil is a sound bet — as part of a pattern, not as a pill. See PREDIMED.
Source, Jan 2022: University of Miami News (on the JACC study).