Dietitians say a simple change in the kitchen could help you live longer: cooking with olive oil. Whether you’re sautéing vegetables or preparing a chicken stir-fry, you may usually rely on oils like sunflower or canola, along with common seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic powder. While these ingredients all play a role in your meals, experts recommend choosing just one oil for better long-term health—olive oil.
Registered dietitian Jess Cording explained to Parade that extra virgin olive oil has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative conditions. She said the polyphenols in olive oil help protect the body’s cells from damage that speeds up aging and chronic illness, and may also guard against certain cancers because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
A 2022 Harvard study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology also highlighted the benefits of olive oil after examining health data from about 90,000 people over nearly 30 years. The findings showed that those who consumed more than half a tablespoon of olive oil daily had a 19 percent lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who rarely used it. The study also found a 19 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a 17 percent lower risk of cancer-related death, and a 29 percent lower risk of dying from a neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer’s. Replacing 10 grams of fats such as margarine, butter, or mayonnaise with the same amount of olive oil lowered the overall risk of death and disease by 34 percent.
Because of this, dietitian Jenny Beth Kroplin advises swapping canola oil, butter, and margarine for olive oil when cooking. She notes that while no single food determines overall health, choosing healthier options like extra virgin olive oil can have long-term benefits.
Health experts add that the compounds in olive oil may help extend lifespan by reducing oxidative stress, a major cause of inflammation. According to dietitian Maddie Pasquariello, extra virgin olive oil contains unsaturated fatty acids that help decrease inflammation. She also explained to Real Simple that substituting saturated fats with olive oil can support healthy cholesterol levels, which is important because high cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. She clarified that adding olive oil alone won’t necessarily lower cholesterol, but replacing foods high in saturated fat with unsaturated fats found in olive oil is a good step toward better health.
Source: Independent (UK)
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