Refined vs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Is One Better for Cardiovascular Health?

the MPR take:

Olive oil consumption has been associated with cardiovascular disease prevention due to its oleic acid and phenolic content, but do refined and extra virgin olive oils have similar effects in improving cardiovascular biomarkers in a healthy cohort? Sixty-nine healthy adults ages 18–75 consumed a 20mL daily dose of either low-phenolic content (refined) or high-phenolic content (extra virgin) olive oil (not heated or cooked) as a supplement for six weeks. No dietary restrictions were imposed and all participants kept food diaries periodically before the baseline, during the intervention, and at the end of the intervention. Both groups had similar reductions in coronary artery disease scores at endpoint as observed in urinary proteomic biomarkers (mean improvement: -0.3 for low-phenolic olive oil and -0.2 for high-phenolic oil; P<0.01); no changes were seen in chronic kidney disease (CKD) or diabetes proteomic biomarkers. No difference was observed between the two groups for changes in secondary outcomes including plasma triacylglycerols, oxidized LDL, and LDL cholesterol. These results provide additional evidence to the benefits of olive oil on cardiovascular health, regardless of phenolic content.