Does olive oil lower cholesterol?

Not by itself. A 2023 dose-response meta-analysis of 34 randomized trials in 1730 adults found that each extra 10 g of olive oil a day changed LDL cholesterol by about 0.04 mg/dL, which its authors call trivial, on evidence they graded low to very low. Olive oil does lower LDL when it takes the place of butter, and in that swap most liquid plant oils do the same or better.

Myth. Pouring olive oil over the diet you already eat does not lower cholesterol in any way you would see on a blood test. The trials behind that 34-trial result compared olive oil with a mix of other oils, usual diets and butter, so the slope says little about any one swap.

Established. Replacing butter with liquid plant oil lowers LDL. A network meta-analysis of 54 trials found olive, sunflower, rapeseed, soybean and other oils cut LDL by 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) against butter for every 10 percent of energy swapped. Olive oil sat in that range without ranking near the top, where safflower and rapeseed oils were. Palm oil, coconut oil and beef fat also beat butter in that analysis, so most of the gain comes from leaving butter out.

What the trials found

Against other plant oils olive oil does worse on LDL. In 27 trials with 1089 people it lowered total cholesterol 6.3 mg/dL less and LDL 4.2 mg/dL less than the comparison oils, which were mostly polyunsaturated oils such as sunflower, soybean and canola. It raised HDL by 1.4 mg/dL more. A small 8-week trial in 27 healthy young women points the same way: on 40 g a day of extra virgin olive oil, LDL rose by 5.1 mg/dL, in a trial that used sunflower oil as the control. The abstract reports the change in the olive oil group, the result comes from 12 women on olive oil, and sunflower oil lowers LDL itself.

The gains show up when olive oil pushes out saturated fat. In a controlled-feeding crossover trial in 18 adults with insulin resistance, swapping lard for olive oil fats for 4 weeks cut LDL by 7 percent. The abstract gives no absolute figure, and the authors credit the drop in saturated fat as much as the oil. In 30 healthy adults, cooking with ghee instead of olive oil for 4 weeks raised non-HDL cholesterol by 20 mg/dL (95% CI 0.39 to 41; metric: 0.53 mmol/L, 0.01 to 1.05) and apo B by 0.09 g/L. The LDL difference in that trial, 11 mg/dL (0.29 mmol/L), did not reach significance.

A Mediterranean diet with extra olive oil changes little on top of the diet. Across 18 trials it lowered triglycerides by 2.40 mg/dL and moved no other heart marker consistently, with strong heterogeneity between trials. Across 21 trials it changed blood lipids no differently from the same diet with extra nuts. Both comparisons test a whole eating pattern, so neither isolates the oil.

Extra virgin and high-polyphenol oil

Unsettled. Whether the expensive bottle lowers LDL more is still open, because three pooled analyses disagree. In 13 trials with 611 people, high-phenolic extra virgin oil lowered LDL by 5.4 mg/dL (95% CI 0.39 to 11; metric: 0.14 mmol/L, 0.01 to 0.28) against low-phenolic oil, on low to moderate certainty evidence, and total cholesterol did not differ between grades. A 2015 analysis of 8 crossover trials with 355 people found no LDL effect of high-phenolic oil at all. A 2023 analysis of 10 trials found an LDL drop of 4.28 mg/dL only in the top third of polyphenol content, while the pooled effect across all doses crossed zero and only 4 of the 10 trials had low risk of bias.

Olive pomace oil, a different, solvent-extracted grade, lowered LDL and apo B in a 4-week crossover trial of 45 g a day, while high-oleic sunflower oil did not. The abstract reports P values without effect sizes or the number of volunteers, and the trial was registered after it started.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. Olive oil is dense in energy. The FDA allows its qualified heart claim for oils high in oleic acid at about 20 g a day only on condition that they replace saturated fats and do not add calories. Olive oil has about 120 calories per tablespoon, so added on top of what you already eat it adds energy.

We found no card on olive oil and cholesterol in children, in pregnancy, alongside cholesterol medicines, or in familial hypercholesterolemia. The trials above were in adults, mostly healthy ones.

What expert bodies say

The FDA claim is the weakest tier of US health claim. Its evidence is described as supportive but not conclusive, and it names oils high in oleic acid rather than olive oil. The European Union has authorized one olive oil health claim, that olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidation. That is a statement about oxidation, and it says nothing about cholesterol levels. The EU refused the claim that olive oil promotes heart health, and its register holds no entry on olive oil and blood cholesterol. A refusal means the dossier did not meet the bar, which is different from proof of no effect.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A trial of olive oil alone with LDL as its main outcome, lasting longer than about 3 months. We found none. The dose-response evidence is graded low to very low.
• A clean answer on polyphenols. A UC Davis trial comparing high and low polyphenol olive oil, with 44 people planned, was due to complete its primary phase in August 2026 and has posted no results.
• Trials in children, in pregnancy and in familial hypercholesterolemia, and any comparison with statins. None exists in what we searched.

Nutrition values, other findings and practical notes for the oil itself are on the olive oil page.

Sources

1. ev-oocl-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, GRADE · n = 1730
   Based on existing evidence, olive oil consumption had trivial effects on levels of serum lipids in adults.
   
   Who: Adults in 34 randomized controlled trials of olive oil intake
   Effect: per 10 g/d: LDL-C MD 0.04 mg/dL (95% CI -1.01 to 0.94), GRADE very low; TC MD 0.79 mg/dL (95% CI -0.08 to 1.66); HDL-C MD 0.22 mg/dL (95% CI -0.01 to 0.45)
   Certainty: Comparators were mixed (other oils, usual diet, butter); a dose-response slope against a mix of controls says little about swapping olive oil for butter. GRADE low to very low.
   Jabbarzadeh-Ganjeh et al., British Journal of Nutrition, 2023 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
2. ev-oocl-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 1089
   Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggested that OO consumption decreased serum TC, LDL-c, and TG less but increased HDL-c more than other plant oils.
   
   Who: Participants of 27 randomized placebo-controlled trials comparing olive oil with other plant oils
   Effect: vs other plant oils: HDL-C +1.37 mg/dL (95% CI 0.4 to 2.36); TC reduced 6.27 mg/dL less (95% CI 2.8 to 10.6); LDL-C reduced 4.2 mg/dL less (95% CI 1.4 to 7.01); TG reduced 4.31 mg/dL less
   Certainty: Comparator oils were mostly PUFA-rich (sunflower, soybean, canola), which lower LDL more than olive oil does. Search to September 2017.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
3. ev-oocl-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response network meta-analysis of randomized trials · n = 54 trials
   Safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, corn, olive, soybean, palm, and coconut oil as well beef fat were more effective in reducing LDL-C (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/l) as compared with butter.
   
   Who: Adults in 54 randomized trials of at least 3 weeks comparing oils and solid fats
   Effect: LDL-C -16 to -8.9 mg/dL (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/L) vs butter per 10% isocaloric exchange, range across safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, corn, olive, soybean, palm, coconut oil and beef fat; safflower and rapeseed ranked best for LDL
   Certainty: The gain comes from replacing butter; olive oil did not rank near the top among oils for LDL lowering.
   J Lipid Res, 2018 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
4. ev-oocl-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 611
   HP(E)VOO slightly reduce LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) compared to LP(E)VOO (mean difference [MD]: -0.14 mmol/L, 95%-CI: -0.28, -0.01).
   
   Who: 611 mainly healthy participants, mean age 26 to 70 years, in 13 RCTs of at least 3 weeks
   Effect: HP(E)VOO vs LP(E)VOO: LDL-C MD -5.4 mg/dL (95% CI -11 to -0.39; metric: -0.14 mmol/L, -0.28 to -0.01); no differences in TC, HDL-C or TG among refined, mixed, low- and high-phenolic oils; certainty low to moderate
   Certainty: Low or moderate certainty per the authors; the LDL difference is about 5 mg/dL and its CI nearly touches zero.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2019 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
5. ev-oocl-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, PROSPERO CRD42023403383 · n = 991
   When LDL-C was considered as the outcome, daily consumption of olive oil polyphenols slightly but significantly reduced LDL-C levels in a total sample of 991 people (WMDs common effect model −0.83, 95%CI −1.67 to 0.01, heterogeneity 73%, p < 0.01), and WMDs for each level of daily exposure showed a strong significant effect on reducing LDL-C levels, yet only in individuals participating in a daily high consumption of olive oil polyphenols (WMD −4.28, 95%CI −5.78 to −2.77).
   
   Who: Mostly healthy European adults in 10 RCTs (8 crossover) of daily olive oil polyphenol exposure; 991 people in the LDL analysis
   Effect: LDL-C pooled WMD -0.83 mg/dL (95% CI -1.67 to 0.01, I2 73%); high polyphenol tertile (320-600 mg/kg) WMD -4.28 (95% CI -5.78 to -2.77); HDL-C WMD +1.13 (95% CI 0.45 to 1.80); TC no effect
   Certainty: Risk of bias low in only 4 of 10 trials; the pooled LDL effect crosses zero. The authors argue for labeling, which is advocacy beyond the data.
   Metabolites, 2023 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the fulltext
6. ev-oocl-06 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 355
   No effects were found for diastolic blood pressure (n = 69; SMD -0.20; CI -1.01/0.62; p = 0.64); malondialdehyde (n = 71; SMD -0.02; CI [-0.20/0.15]; p = 0.79), total cholesterol (n = 400; SMD -0.05; CI [-0.16/0.05]; p = 0.33); HDL (n = 400; SMD -0.03; CI [-0.14/0.08]; p = 0.62); LDL (n = 400; SMD -0.03; CI [-0.15/0.09]; p = 0.61); and triglycerides (n = 360; SMD 0.02; CI [-0.22/0.25]; p = 0.90).
   
   Who: Healthy people or patients with cardiovascular disease in 8 crossover RCTs, 21 to 90 days
   Effect: LDL SMD -0.03 (95% CI -0.15 to 0.09), n 400 observations; TC SMD -0.05 (95% CI -0.16 to 0.05); oxLDL SMD -0.25 (95% CI -0.50 to 0.00)
   Certainty: Small number of trials; disagrees in part with 38132869, which found a high-tertile LDL effect.
   Phytomedicine, 2015 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
7. ev-oocl-07 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 21 trials
   The findings indicated that the MED diet supplemented with olive oil has no significant effect on lipid indices and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) when contrasted with the MED diet supplemented with mixed nuts.
   
   Who: Adults at risk of cardiovascular disease in 21 RCTs (25 effect sizes)
   Effect: no significant difference in lipid indices between MED + olive oil and MED + mixed nuts (SMD); SBP slightly higher with olive oil
   Certainty: Many effect sizes come from PREDIMED subsamples; both arms are Mediterranean diets, so this says nothing about olive oil versus a usual diet.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
8. ev-oocl-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · double-blind randomized crossover controlled-feeding trial, NCT03872349 · n = 18
   This substitution also reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (Δ = -7.0%; P = 0.01), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Δ = -2.5%; P = 0.04), and LDL apoB-100 PS (Δ = -6.0%; P = 0.05).
   
   Who: Males and females with dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance; SFA 13.4%E vs 7.1%E, fully controlled feeding, 4 weeks each
   Effect: LDL-C -7.0% (P = 0.01); non-HDL-C -2.5% (P = 0.04); LDL apoB-100 pool size -6.0%
   Certainty: Small; the effect is from removing saturated fat as much as from adding olive oil.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
9. ev-oocl-09 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized two-period crossover trial · n = 30
   Compared with the olive oil, the diet with ghee increased fasting plasma apo-B (apo B) (0·09, 95 % CI 0·02, 0·17 g/l, P = 0·018), non-HDL-cholesterol (non-HDL-cholesterol) (0·53, 95 % CI 0·01, 1·05 mmol/l, P = 0·046) and LDL-cholesterol did not differ significantly between diet groups (0·29, 95 % CI -0·05, 0·63 mmol/l, P = 0·092), but had no significant effect on total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio (0·75, 95 % CI - 0·24 to 1·74 mmol/l, P = 0·118).
   
   Who: Thirty healthy men and women, free-living, isoenergetic ghee or olive oil for 4 weeks each
   Effect: ghee vs olive oil: apoB +0.09 g/L (95% CI 0.02 to 0.17); non-HDL-C +20 mg/dL (95% CI 0.39 to 41; metric: 0.53 mmol/L, 0.01 to 1.05); LDL-C +11 mg/dL (0.29 mmol/L) (95% CI -0.05 to 0.63, NS)
   Certainty: LDL difference itself was not significant; small free-living trial.
   Br J Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
10. ev-oocl-10 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial · n = 27
    EVOO supplementation reduced fasting insulin (-0.31 ± 0.52 U/mL, p = 0.03), but increased LDL cholesterol (+5.1 ± 4.0 mg/dL, p = 0.047).
    
    Who: Healthy nulliparous women, 40 g/day EVOO high in oleic acid and phenols or the same dose of sunflower seed oil, 8 weeks; 12 and 15 completers
    Effect: LDL-C +5.1 +/- 4.0 mg/dL with EVOO (p = 0.047); fasting insulin -0.31 U/mL (p = 0.03)
    Certainty: Very small; sunflower oil is PUFA-rich and lowers LDL itself, so the comparison favors the control.
    Pregnancy Hypertens, 2026 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
11. ev-oocl-11 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized blind crossover controlled trial, NCT04997122 (retrospectively registered) · n = —
    OPO significantly reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; P = 0.003) and apolipoprotein B (Apo B; P = 0.022) serum concentrations, and LDL/HDL ratio (P = 0.027) in healthy and at-risk volunteers.
    
    Who: Healthy and at-risk (hypercholesterolemic) volunteers, 45 g/day olive pomace oil or high-oleic sunflower oil for 4 weeks
    Effect: LDL-C reduced (P = 0.003), apo B reduced (P = 0.022), LDL/HDL reduced (P = 0.027) with olive pomace oil; no such effects with high-oleic sunflower oil; effect size not given in the abstract
    Certainty: Olive pomace oil is a different, solvent-extracted grade; retrospective registration; abstract gives P values only.
    Eur J Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
12. ev-oocl-12 · Position of an expert body · FDA qualified health claim, enforcement discretion, oleic acid and coronary heart disease, 2018 · n = —
    To achieve this possible benefit, oleic acid-containing oils should replace fats and oils higher in saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.
    
    Who: food labeling in the United States
    Effect: about 1.5 tablespoons (20 g) a day; evidence graded supportive but not conclusive; condition: no increase in total daily calories
    Certainty: Qualified claim, the weakest US claim tier; it applies to oils high in oleic acid, not to olive oil by name. Olive oil has about 120 calories per tablespoon, so added on top of the diet it adds energy.
    FDA, Constituent Update: FDA completes review of qualified health claim petition for oleic acid and the risk of coronary heart disease, 2018 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the page
13. ev-oocl-13 · Position of an expert body · EU Register on nutrition and health claims, entry POL-HC-6431, snapshot of 2026-09-21 · n = —
    POL-HC-6431 Olive oil polyphenols Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress Authorised
    
    Who: food labeling in the European Union
    Effect: status Authorised for olive oil polyphenols and protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress
    Certainty: Conditions of use (polyphenol threshold per 20 g) are in Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, which did not load in this pass. Level E.
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6431, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the row
14. ev-oocl-14 · Position of an expert body · EU Register on nutrition and health claims, entry POL-HC-7679, snapshot of 2026-09-21 · n = —
    POL-HC-7679 Olive Oil Olive Oil promotes your heart health Non-authorised
    
    Who: food labeling in the European Union
    Effect: status Non-authorized for the substance Olive Oil and the claim Olive Oil promotes your heart health
    Certainty: Non-authorized means the dossier did not meet the bar at assessment, not that there is no effect; no register entry for olive oil and blood cholesterol exists.
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7679, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the row
15. oil-p1-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Embase and CINAHL searched to March 2024, random-effects pooling with sensitivity analysis, registered as PROSPERO CRD42023424641 · n = 18 trials
    According to the pooled analysis from the random-effects model, the MedDiet enriched with olive oil significantly reduced triglycerides (TG) compared with the control group (WMD = -2.40 mg/dl; 95%CI, -4.533 to -0.262; P = 0.027). Strong heterogeneity was observed.
    
    Who: 18 clinical trials meeting inclusion criteria out of 3303 records retrieved, testing a Mediterranean diet enriched with olive oil on blood lipids, glycemic indices, blood pressure and anthropometric indices
    Effect: triglycerides fell 2.40 mg/dl (95% CI -4.533 to -0.262, P = 0.027) and no other reported marker of cardiovascular health changed consistently; heterogeneity was strong, sensitivity analysis did not alter the results, and the authors record a concern about reporting bias in some studies
    Certainty: 2.40 mg/dl is a change no clinician would act on, and the authors themselves title the paper no consistent benefits. The intervention is a whole dietary pattern enriched with olive oil rather than olive oil alone, so this cannot isolate the oil. Trials measure months and markers while card oil-p1-01 measures years and deaths, which is the likeliest reason they disagree, and neither design can substitute for the other. Strong heterogeneity and possible reporting bias both weaken it
    European Journal of Nutrition, 2024 · checked 2026-09-22 · we read the abstract