Olive oil or vegetable oil: a closer contest than the label suggests

Olive oil has the better reputation, and the trials give it less of an edge than that. Across 51 randomized trials in 4334 adults, a meta-analysis found olive oil did not significantly change blood glucose (-0.04 mg/dL, 95% CI -0.1 to 0.02). An umbrella review of 206 meta-analyses found that canola oil, virgin olive oil and rice bran oil all lower total and LDL cholesterol, at moderate to very low certainty and with no numbers in the summary. Observational data from 92383 US adults followed for 28 years link swapping 10 g a day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise or dairy fat for olive oil with 8% to 34% lower mortality. Set against other vegetable oils combined, olive oil showed no significant difference.

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g, UK olive oil has 73 g monounsaturated and 8.2 g polyunsaturated fat with 5.1 mg vitamin E, versus 59.3 g, 29.3 g and 22.2 mg in average vegetable oil, at the same 899 calories. — UK oils, average samples Evidence C source
  MUFA 73.0 vs 59.3 g; PUFA 8.2 vs 29.3 g; vitamin E 5.10 vs 22.21 mg; energy 899 vs 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• In US dietary survey data, one tablespoon of olive oil and one of vegetable oil both weigh 14 g, about 126 calories. — US food portions (FNDDS) Evidence C source
  1 tablespoon 14 g, 1 cup 224 g for both; about 126 calories per tablespoon at 899 calories/100 g

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover trial in 16 adults, eating a salad with olive oil gave 55% more carotenoid absorption than the same salad with coconut oil. — sixteen subjects, salad with 0.99 oz (28 g) of one of 4 test fats (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Total carotenoid iAUC 55.2% higher with olive oil vs coconut oil; bioaccessibility 24.0% vs 14.9%
• In a crossover trial in 11 healthy adults, adding refined olive oil to tomato juice raised blood levels of all lycopene forms. — eleven healthy volunteers, single 26 oz (750 g) serving of tomato juice with or without 10% refined olive oil (n = 11) Evidence B source
  All lycopene isomers increased, peak at 24 h

What cooking and storage change

• In a crossover trial in 16 healthy men, meals with olive or safflower oil heated 8 hours at 210 C made serum oxidize 12% faster, while unheated olive oil did not. — 16 healthy men, meals with 2.1 oz (60 g) of oil (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Lag time -12% after both heated oils; unheated safflower -11%; unheated olive no significant change
• A systematic review of 23 publications found no support for the idea that frying food in general raises cardiovascular risk, though heavy fried food intake is probably linked to weight gain. — 23 publications on vegetable oil and fried food intake (n = 23 publications) Evidence C source
  No general CVD risk from frying; probable weight gain with high fried food intake

What it does to your health

• In 92383 US adults followed for 28 years, olive oil was linked to lower mortality when it replaced margarine, butter, mayonnaise or dairy fat, but not when compared with other vegetable oils combined. — 60582 women (Nurses' Health Study) and 31801 men (Health Professionals Follow-up Study), 1990-2018 (n = 92383) Evidence C source
  HR 0.81 (95% CI 0.78-0.84) all-cause mortality for >7 g/d vs never; replacing 10 g/d animal fats 8%-34% lower risk; vs other vegetable oils no significant difference
• In 221054 US adults followed up to 33 years, each extra 5 g a day of canola, soybean or olive oil was linked to 15%, 6% and 8% lower total mortality. — 221054 adults in Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (n = 221054) Evidence C source
  HR per 5 g/d: canola 0.85 (0.78-0.92), soybean 0.94 (0.91-0.96), olive 0.92 (0.91-0.94)
• An umbrella review of 206 meta-analyses found canola, virgin olive and rice bran oils all lower total and LDL cholesterol, while coconut and palm oils raise them. — 48 studies including 206 meta-analyses in adults (n = 206 meta-analyses) Evidence A source
  LDL and total cholesterol lowered by canola, virgin olive, rice bran oils (moderate to very low certainty)
• A meta-analysis of 51 randomized trials in 4334 adults found olive oil did not change fasting glucose, insulin or HbA1c overall. — 51 RCTs, 4334 adult participants (n = 4334) Evidence A source
  Glucose WMD -0.04 mg/dL (95% CI -0.1 to 0.02); HbA1c WMD 0.02% (-0.01 to 0.06); HOMA-IR improved only at 25-50 g/d
• Across observational studies, each extra 0.88 oz (25 g) of olive oil a day was linked to 26% lower stroke risk, with no significant link to coronary heart disease. — cohort and case-control studies, 101460 participants for CHD and 38673 for stroke (n = 38673) Evidence C source
  Stroke RR 0.74 (95% CI 0.60-0.92); CHD cohorts RR 0.96 (0.78-1.18) per 25 g/d

What people believe that the data does not support

• A 2026 scoping review of human studies concluded that the data support the safety of seed oils and linoleic acid, including with respect to cardiovascular disease. — human clinical and observational literature on seed oils and linoleic acid Evidence C source
  Data support the safety of seed oils and linoleic acid, including for CVD; no quantitative synthesis
• The EU authorizes only one olive oil health claim, that olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress. — EU food labeling Evidence E source
  Authorized
• The EU rejected the claim that olive oil promotes heart health. — EU food labeling Evidence E source
  Non-authorized
• Since 2018 the FDA allows a qualified heart claim for oils with at least 70% oleic acid, including olive oil and high oleic sunflower, safflower and canola oils, at about 1.5 tablespoons (20 g) a day. — US food labeling Evidence E source
  Qualified claim, 'supportive but not conclusive' evidence; oils with at least 70% oleic acid

Who this works differently for

• A meta-analysis of cohorts and trials linked the highest olive oil intake with lower diabetes risk, stronger in people over 50 and with extra virgin olive oil. — 10 studies (4 cohorts, 6 RCTs), more than 500000 subjects (n = 500000) Evidence C source
  Age over 50 RR 0.77 (0.70-0.89); extra virgin olive oil RR 0.75 (0.65-0.87)
• In infant formula studies, babies fed formula with palm oil absorbed less calcium and fat than babies fed formulas made with other vegetable oils. — term infants in 28 RCTs and 2 observational studies of formula fat blends (n = 30 studies) Evidence C source
  Lower calcium, total fat and palmitic acid absorption with palm oil or palm olein formula

What is still unknown

• In the PREDIMED trial cohort, high extra virgin olive oil intake was linked to 25% fewer cardiovascular events, while common refined olive oil showed no significant association once extra virgin intake was accounted for. — 7102 high-risk participants aged 55-80, median 4.7 years (n = 7102) Evidence C source
  EVOO top tertile HR 0.75 (0.60-0.94); common olive oil HR per 10 g/d 0.93 (0.87-1.00)

The bottom line

The two differ in what they contain. Per 100 g, UK olive oil has 73 g monounsaturated and 8.2 g polyunsaturated fat with 5.1 mg vitamin E, against 59.3 g, 29.3 g and 22.2 mg in an average vegetable oil, a blend of rapeseed, sunflower and soya. Both carry 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), and a tablespoon of either weighs 14 g in US survey data, about 126 calories. In 221054 US adults followed up to 33 years, each extra 5 g a day was linked to lower total mortality for canola (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.92), soybean (0.94) and olive oil (0.92). These are associations in people who picked their own fats. Where olive oil stands out, it is the extra virgin kind. Within the PREDIMED trial, among 7102 people aged 55 to 80 at high heart risk, those in the top third of extra virgin olive oil intake, about 49 g a day, had 25% fewer cardiovascular events (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.94). Common refined olive oil showed no significant link (HR 0.93 per 10 g a day, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.00), and this was an observational analysis inside the trial. Pooled observational studies tie olive oil to lower stroke risk and show no significant link with coronary heart disease. A pooling of cohorts and trials linked high olive oil intake with lower diabetes risk, most clearly in people over 50 (RR 0.77) and for extra virgin oil (RR 0.75), comparing high intake with low rather than with another oil. Any oil helps a salad do its job. In 16 adults, a salad dressed with olive oil gave 55% more carotenoid absorption than the same salad with coconut oil, in a single meal. Heating is a narrower worry than it sounds. In 16 healthy men, meals with 2.1 oz (60 g) of olive or safflower oil that had been heated for 8 hours at 210 C made serum oxidize 12% faster, a surrogate marker after 8 hours of heating, far longer than home cooking. A review of 23 publications found the belief that frying food in general raises heart risk is not supported, and a 2026 scoping review of human studies concluded that the data support the safety of seed oils. Labels reflect the same caution. The EU authorizes one olive oil claim, that its polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress, and rejected the claim that olive oil promotes heart health. Since 2018 the FDA allows a qualified claim, supportive but not conclusive, that about 1.5 tablespoons (20 g) a day of oils with at least 70% oleic acid may reduce coronary heart disease risk when they replace saturated fat. High oleic sunflower, safflower and canola qualify, and ordinary sunflower oil does not. We have no evidence here on allergy, pregnancy or medicine interactions for either oil. The one finding about children concerns formula. Babies fed formula made with palm oil absorbed less calcium and fat than babies fed formulas with other vegetable oils, across studies that were not pooled.

Sources

1. oovo-daily-r6-14 · composition data
   Oil, olive 17-038 | Mono FA 73.00 g | Poly FA 8.20 g | Vitamin E 5.10 mg | Energy 899 kcal || Oil, vegetable, average 17-686 | Mono FA 59.30 g | Poly FA 29.30 g | Vitamin E 22.21 mg | Energy 899 kcal
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England), codes 17-038 and 17-686 · checked 2026-09-29
2. oovo-daily-r6-15 · portion data
   Olive oil | 1 tablespoon 14 g | 1 cup 224 g || Vegetable oil, NFS | 1 tablespoon 14 g | 1 cup 224 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food codes 82104000 (fdc_id 2710186) and 82101000 (fdc_id 2710180) · checked 2026-09-29
3. oovo-daily-r6-07 · randomized crossover trial
   Similarly, the positive iAUC1-10h of TC, α-carotene, and lycopene were 55.2%, 110.8%, and 45.8%, respectively, higher with olive oil than with coconut oil.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
4. oovo-daily-r6-08 · randomized crossover trial
   In a randomized, controlled, crossover feeding trial, eleven healthy volunteers were assigned to receive a single ingestion of 750g of tomato juice (TJ) containing 10% of refined olive oil/70kg body weight (BW) and 750g of TJ without oil/70kg BW on two different days. All lycopene isomers increased significantly in subjects consuming TJ with oil, reaching the maximum concentration at 24h.
   Food Chem, 2015 · checked 2026-09-29
5. oovo-daily-r6-09 · randomized crossover trial
   The present randomised, crossover study sought to determine the effect of meals rich in safflower oil and olive oil (60 g) which had been heated for 8 h at 210 degrees C and the corresponding unheated oils on copper ion oxidation of dilute serum from 16 healthy men. Four hours after the meals rich in the heated oils, there were significant decreases of similar magnitude (-12%) in the lag time in conjugated diene formation during diluted serum oxidation.
   Atherosclerosis, 2002 · checked 2026-09-29
6. oovo-daily-r6-10 · systematic review
   we conclude that (1) the myth that frying foods is generally associated with a higher risk of CVD is not supported by the available evidence
   Br J Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-09-29
7. oovo-daily-r6-01 · prospective cohort study
   In substitution analyses, replacing 10 g/d of margarine, butter, mayonnaise, and dairy fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil was associated with 8%-34% lower risk of total and cause-specific mortality. No significant associations were observed when olive oil was compared with other vegetable oils combined.
   J Am Coll Cardiol, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
8. oovo-daily-r6-02 · prospective cohort study
   There was a statistically significant association between higher intakes of canola, soybean, and olive oils and lower total mortality, with HRs per 5-g/d increment of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.78-0.92), 0.94 (95% CI, 0.91-0.96), and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.91-0.94), respectively (all P for trend < .001).
   JAMA Intern Med, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
9. oovo-daily-r6-03 · umbrella review
   Moderate to very low certainty evidence showed that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as canola oil, virgin olive oil, and rice bran oil are beneficial in reducing serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations.
   Adv Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
10. oovo-daily-r6-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    We found the consumption of olive oil was not associated with statistically significant changes in blood glucose (WMD = -0.04 mg dL-1; 95% CI, -0.1 to 0.02; P = .18; I2 = 27.05%)
    Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
11. oovo-daily-r6-06 · meta-analysis of cohorts
    Available studies support an inverse association of olive oil consumption with stroke (and with stroke and CHD combined), but no significant association with CHD.
    Br J Nutr, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
12. oovo-daily-r6-11 · scoping review
    It is concluded that data overwhelmingly support the safety and health benefits of seed oils and LA, not only with respect to CVD, but possibly other chronic diseases as well.
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
13. oovo-daily-r6-16 · EU health claim register
    POL-HC-6431 Olive oil polyphenols Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6431, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
14. oovo-daily-r6-17 · EU health claim register
    POL-HC-7679 Olive Oil Olive Oil promotes your heart health Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7679, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
15. oovo-daily-r6-18 · qualified health claim
    Supportive but not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that daily consumption of about 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) of oils containing high levels of oleic acid, when replaced for fats and oils higher in saturated fat, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
    US FDA, qualified health claim for oleic acid and coronary heart disease, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
16. oovo-daily-r6-12 · meta-analysis
    Subgroup analysis results showed that there was a better effect on reducing diabetes risk in age > 50 years(RR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.70 - 0.89, P < 0.01), Europe(RR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.72 - 0.86, P < 0.01) and extra virgin olive oil ( RR = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.65-0.87, P < 0.01).
    J Health Popul Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
17. oovo-daily-r6-13 · scoping review
    Alternatively, it was reported that infants fed PO/POL within formulas had a decreased absorption of calcium, total fat, and PA compared to those fed vegetable oil formulas.
    J Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
18. oovo-daily-r6-05 · cohort analysis of RCT
    Participants in the highest tertile of cumulative EVOO intake (mean: 49.2 g/d) had a 25% lower risk of the composite outcome (HR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.60-0.94), with significant reductions in several individual CVD outcomes. ... COO consumption was not significantly associated with CVD risk when mutually adjusted for EVOO (HRper 10 g/d: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.87-1.00).
    Am Heart J, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29