Extra Virgin Olive Oil Benefits - How and Why?
- Jun 9
- 3 min read
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Health Benefits?
Food is just a delivery system for getting more extra virgin olive oil into your body.
Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration.
However, a new study adds further weight to the growing body of evidence supporting the health benefits of virgin and extra virgin olive oil.
Importantly, the findings specifically applied to virgin and extra virgin olive oil. The same benefits were not observed with refined olive oil. In fact, refined olive oil intake was associated with less favourable outcomes for both gut health and cognition.
This prospective human study followed 656 adults aged 55 to 75 years and reported some fascinating findings.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Gut Health and Brain Function
Higher intakes of total olive oil, particularly virgin olive oil, were associated with:
📈 More favourable gut microbiome profiles, including greater bacterial diversity and richness
📈 Better cognitive performance, including measures of executive function
By contrast, higher intakes of refined olive oil were associated with:
📉 Less favourable gut microbiome profiles, including lower bacterial diversity and a greater abundance of bacteria associated with metabolic disease
📉 Declining cognitive function
These findings further reinforce the idea that not all olive oils are nutritionally equivalent.
Why Might Extra Virgin Olive Oil Be Beneficial?
The Mechanism Is Not Yet Fully Understood
As with most nutrition research, there are still unanswered questions.
This study cannot prove causation, nor can it fully explain the mechanisms responsible for the observed benefits.
Potential explanations include:
The unique fatty acid profile of virgin olive oil
Its naturally occurring polyphenol content
Positive changes to the gut microbiome
Interactions between gut bacteria and brain health through the gut-brain axis
The reality may involve a combination of all these factors.
What is clear is that these findings add to an already substantial body of research supporting extra virgin olive oil as a cornerstone of a healthy dietary pattern.
Practical Takeaways for Choosing Olive Oil
1. Make Extra Virgin Olive Oil Your Primary Culinary Fat
Where appropriate, favour extra virgin olive oil as your main source of added dietary fat.
Its combination of monounsaturated fats and polyphenols makes it one of the most extensively researched foods in nutritional science.
2. Look for High-Polyphenol Olive Oils
Within the European Union, labels such as:
High Polyphenol
High Phenolic
. . . can indicate products with particularly high concentrations of beneficial plant compounds.
These products may qualify for the authorised health claim that olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.
3. Check the Harvest Date
Polyphenol content gradually declines over time.
Whenever possible, choose a brand that clearly displays the harvest date and aim for oils produced within the previous 12 to 18 months.
More recent harvests are often preferable.
4. Use EVOO for Dressings and Cooking
Extra virgin olive oil is not just for salads.
Its naturally high polyphenol content helps protect the oil during cooking, making it suitable for dressings, low-heat cooking, and many short-duration cooking methods.
5. Support Gut Health From Multiple Angles
Extra virgin olive oil appears to work particularly well when combined with other lifestyle habits that support a healthy gut microbiome.
These include:
Eating a diverse and colourful diet rich in plant foods
Consuming a wide variety of phytonutrients
Exercising regularly
Prioritising sleep quality
Managing stress effectively
The Bottom Line
This study does not prove that extra virgin olive oil directly improves cognition or gut health.
However, it does provide further evidence that virgin and extra virgin olive oils are associated with healthier gut microbiome profiles and better cognitive outcomes in older adults.
At the same time, refined olive oil was associated with less favourable results, highlighting the importance of choosing minimally processed olive oils whenever possible.
For many people, extra virgin olive oil remains one of the simplest and most evidence-based additions to a health-supportive dietary pattern.
Do you already favour extra virgin olive oil, or do findings like these encourage you to use it more often?
My clients enjoy clear, specific, actionable guidance on how to use diet, supplementation, lifestyle and functional testing to reach their personal health goals and resolve their health issues.
Why not book a free health kickstart call to find out how we would enable better health for you? 📲
Comments