Better than butter: Olive oil associated with significant improvements in heart health
Substituting butter, margarine, mayonnaise or dairy fat with olive oil can lower a person’s risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and total cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Olive oil has long been a staple of many Mediterranean diets, the study’s authors noted, and consumption has even increased in the United States. The team aimed to explore the potential impact of this shift on the U.S. population.
“A recent meta-analysis found an inverse association between olive oil consumption and risk of stroke, but there were inconsistencies between the studies that assessed CHD as the endpoint,” wrote lead author Marta Guasch-Ferré, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues. “Of note, all of the included studies were conducted in Mediterranean countries.”
The authors explored data from more than 61,000 women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and more than 31,000 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. No participants had histories of cancer, heart disease or stroke at the beginning of the study, and their diets were assessed once every four years.
Overall, after a total of 24 years of follow-up, there were more than 9,000 cases of CVD among study participants. In addition, there were more than 6,000 cases of CHD and more than 3,500 cases of stroke. After making necessary adjustments, individuals with a higher olive oil intake—more than one-half a tablespoon per day—had their risk of CVD reduced 14%. Those individuals also had their risk of CHD reduced by 18%.
When it came to total or ischemic stroke, however, “no significant associations were observed.”
“The present work generates new evidence suggesting that replacement of more saturated fats, such as butter and margarine, with healthy plant-based fats, such as olive oil, is beneficial for the primary prevention of CVD,” the authors wrote. “Of note, during the earlier part of the follow-up, many margarines contained substantial amounts of trans fatty acids and the results may not apply to current margarines.”
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.