The main type of fat found in all kinds of olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). MUFAs are considered a healthy dietary fat.
If you replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats, such as MUFAs and polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), you may gain certain health benefits.
MUFAs and PUFAs may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving related risk factors. For instance, MUFAs have been found to lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.
In addition, some research shows that MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be helpful if you have or are at risk of type 2 diabetes.
But even healthier fats like olive oil are high in calories, so use them in moderation.
Choose MUFA-rich foods such as olive oil in place of other fatty foods — particularly butter and stick margarine — not in addition to them. And remember that you can't make unhealthy foods healthier simply by adding olive oil to them.
July 20, 2016
- Whitney E, et al. The lipids: Triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols. In: Understanding Nutrition. 14th ed. Belmont, Calif.: Cengage Learning; 2016.
- 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines. Accessed June 30, 2016.
- White B. Dietary fatty acids. American Family Physician. 2009;80:345.
- Paniagua J, et al. A MUFA-rich diet improves postprandial glucose, lipid and GLP-1 responses in insulin-resistant subjects. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2007;26:434.
- Lecerf JM. Fatty acids and cardiovascular disease. Nutrition Reviews. 2009;67:273.
- Aronson MD. Dietary fats. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed June 30, 2016.
- Bonow RO, et al., eds. Nutrition and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2015. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed June 30, 2016.
- Zeratsky KA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., June 30, 2016.
- Carnevale R, et al. Extra virgin olive oil improves post-prandial glycemic and lipid profile in patients with impaired fasting glucose. Clinical Nutrition. In press. Accessed June 30, 2016.
.