According to an observational study including over 90,000 US healthcare professionals, intake of even a small amount of olive oil was tied to reduced total mortality.

In comparison with men and women who rarely or never consumed olive oil (lowest intake), people who consumed more than 0.5 tablespoon a day or more than 7 g/day (highest intake) were found to have a 19% lower mortality risk over a follow-up period of 28 years, beginning from an average age of 56 years. In comparison with people with the lowest intake, those with the highest intake also had 19% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, 17% lower risk of cancer-related mortality, 29% lower risk of death from neurodegenerative disease, and 18% lower risk of death due to respiratory disease. The report is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology… (Medscape)