How olive oil could reduce risk of death from many of the most common killers

Eating olive oil each day could lower a person’s risk of dying from a slew of diseases.

Researchers at Harvard University studied 90,000 people over three decades and found people who consumed at least half a tablespoon of olive oil per day were less likely to die from heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, or lung disease when compared to people who ate less of the oil.

Senior Research Scientist at Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Dr Marta Guasch-Ferré says the study was the first to evaluate the link between olive oil and many diseases.

“The results that we found for death from, for example, neurodegenerative diseases — like Alzheimer’s or respiratory diseases — are quite novel and this was one of the first largest observational studies to evaluate the associations with olive oil and mortality,” she told Stephen Quartermain and Emily Power, filling in for Ross and Russel.

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