Nutrition science is challenging and finding large studies with reasonably long follow up is indfrequent. The PREDIMED trial is one of those rare studies that overcame those challenges. Their focus was, in part, the role of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) versus "common olive oil" (COO) of lower quality and heart outcomes in a large sample.
Prior studies have related increasing EVOO intake, increasingly consumed in the U.S., with lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
However, previous studies did not assess a broad spectrum of CVD outcomes, incorporated repeated annual dietary assessments, or distinguished between polyphenol-rich EVOO and COO, which lacks these compounds.
A new study has addressed those issues.
The researchers assessed 7,102 high-risk participants from the PREDIMED trial (57% women; aged 55-80 years), all free of CVD at baseline. Olive oil consumption was assessed annually, and cumulative average intakes of EVOO and COO were calculated. The primary outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or cardiovascular death, whichever occurred first. Individual outcomes were also evaluated.
Over a median follow-up of 4.7 years, 621 participants experienced at least one CVD event. Participants in the highest intake of EVOO in the diet (mean: 49 g/day or about 4 tbs) had a 25% lower risk of the composite outcome, with significant reductions in several individual CVD outcomes. The highest intake (mean: 61 g/day) versus lowest intake had a 48% lower risk. COO consumption was not significantly associated with CVD risk.
The use of EVOO in the diet is universally accepted as healthier than butter, lard, ghee or beef tallow except for a few patterns of eating often taugh by the plant-based community (Esselstyn, Fuhrman, Ornish, Pritikin).
In this study, high consumption of EVOO wass associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of an outcome-wide composite of CVD events among high-risk individuals.
In contrast, COO, which lacks polyphenols, showed weaker associations, highlighting the importance of differentiating olive oil types in CVD prevention strategies.
While the decision to use EVOO in the diet, and how much, is a personal decision, the diet is overwhelmingly in favor of replacing animal fats with "plant fats", and EVOO, even though it is processed, remains a healthy choice for sure.
