Olive Oil May Increase Lifespan

Olive oil is a formidable condiment that can make food much tastier, especially leafy greens and vegetables that are packed with healthy nutrients but may struggle to whet your appetite. Recent research now suggests consuming it regularly might also make you live longer.

Dr Guasch-Ferré and her colleagues sifted through data from 60,582 women and 31,801 men, assessing their diet every four years over the course of a 28-year follow-up. They observed that participants who consumed more olive oil were often more physically active, had Southern European or Mediterranean ancestry, were less likely to smoke, and ate more fruits and vegetables than those who consumed less olive oil.

“It’s possible that higher olive oil consumption is a marker of an overall healthier diet and higher socioeconomic status. However, even after adjusting for these and other social economic status factors, our results remained largely the same,” said Dr Guasch- Ferré.

Despite the findings, more research is still needed.
“The current study and previous studies have found that consumption of olive oil may have health benefits. However, several questions remain.
Are the associations causal or spurious? Is olive oil consumption protective for certain cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and atrial fibrillation, only or also for other major diseases and causes of death? What is the amount of olive oil required for a protective effect?” wrote Dr Susanna Larsson, associate professor at the Department of Surgical Sciences at Uppsala University, in an accompanying editorial.