Just 25ml daily olive oil lowers blood pressure

A new study suggests that even small amounts of olive oil added to a non-Mediterranean diet may help lower blood pressure.

We’ve probably all heard the traditional Mediterranean diet is good for heart health, but here in NZ we tend to prefer a more varied intake, including foods from many cultures.

The researchers from Barcelona studied 160 healthy men from north, central and southern Europe.

After adding 25ml of olive oil a day to their diets for a 3-week period, systolic blood pressure in the men from north and central Europe significantly decreased.

There was no change in the men from southern Europe as their diet was already high in olive oil.

Although the men were able to continue with their habitual diets, with the addition of the olive oil they consumed less saturated fats and less polyunsaturated fats – olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats – which meant their cholesterol also improved.

Source: Journal of Nutrition, January 2007