Supplements · Metabolic & Cardiometabolic
olive oil improves blood cholesterol
In plain terms: Does olive oil improve your cholesterol?
Part of: • Olive oil
Not in the way people assume. Its real benefit is on cholesterol quality - the polyphenols in good olive oil raise HDL and reduce LDL oxidation. But on the standard cholesterol numbers (LDL, total), pooled trials show little or no change, and one recent study even saw LDL rise slightly. It's about oxidation and phenolics, not your lipid panel.
📅 Last reviewed: 2026-07-15 ⓘ
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: All trials, pooled (Meta-analysis)
How the studies fall
What the evidence shows
Contested — of olive oil's claims, this is the one where the evidence genuinely pulls both ways. The landmark EUROLIVE trial showed that the phenolic content of olive oil dose-dependently raised HDL and lowered oxidized LDL — a real, quality-of-lipid benefit.
The evidence (15)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jabbarzadeh-Ganjeh B, Jayedi A, Shab-Bidar S 2022 · Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr | meta-analysis | contradicts | high | Dose-response meta 34 RCTs: per 10 g/d olive oil trivial low-certainty effects on TC/LDL/HDL/TG; largely null. |
| Morris EA, McBride CA, Roberts L, Psoinos R, Skelly J, Mandalà M, Bernstein IM 2026 · Pregnancy Hypertens | RCT | contradicts | low | RCT (27): 40 g/d EVOO increased LDL cholesterol (+5.1 mg/dL, p=0.047) vs control oil in healthy women. |
| Covas MI, Nyyssönen K, Poulsen HE, Kaikkonen J, Zunft HJ, Kiesewetter H, Gaddi A, de la Torre R, Mursu J, Bäumler H, Nascetti S, Salonen JT, Fitó M, Virtanen J, Marrugat J, EUROLIVE Study Group 2006 · Ann Intern Med | RCT | supports | high | EUROLIVE crossover RCT (200): dose-dependent rise in HDL and fall in oxidized LDL with olive-oil phenolic content (landmark). |
| Schwingshackl L, Krause M, Schmucker C, Hoffmann G, Rücker G, Meerpohl JJ 2019 · Nutrients | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Network meta 13 RCTs: high-phenolic EVOO lowered LDL-C (-0.14 mmol/L) and oxLDL vs refined oil. |
| Kafi LA 2025 · Open veterinary journal | animal | supports | low | Mice, olive oil 0.4mL/kg/d vs sunflower-oil control, 60d, n=5/grp. Significant (p<0.05) decrease TC/TG/LDL/VLDL and increase HDL vs control. |
| Rees K, Takeda A, Martin N, Ellis L, Wijesekara D, Vepa A, Das A, Hartley L, Stranges S 2019 · Cochrane Database Syst Rev | meta-analysis | mixed | high | Comparison 1 (vs minimal intervention): 'possible small reduction in total cholesterol (-0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.32 to 0.00)' (low-quality), little or no effect on LDL/HDL/TG (low or very low). Comparison 2 (vs another diet): LDL -0.15 mmol/L (-0.27 to -0.02), TG -0.09 (-0.16 to -0.01) (moderate). Whole-diet; no olive-oil arm. |
| Han Y, Hu M, Wang Y, Li R, Liax Y, Liu Z, Wang Y 2026 · Diabetology & metabolic syndrome | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | High-oleic diet vs low-oleic diet, 26 RCTs n=1244. TC WMD -0.14 mmol/L (95%CI -0.28,-0.01); LDL-C -0.13 (-0.24,-0.03). HDL-C, TG, glucose/insulin: NS. |
| George ES, Marshall S, Mayr HL, Trakman GL, Tatucu-Babet OA, Lassemillante AM, Bramley A, Reddy AJ, Forsyth A, Tierney AC, Thomas CJ, Itsiopoulos C, Marx W 2019 · Ageing Res Rev | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | SR+meta 26 studies: high-vs-low-polyphenol olive oil lowered oxLDL, raised HDL +2.4 mg/dL, lowered TC. |
| Amiri M, Raeisi-Dehkordi H, Sarrafzadegan N, Forbes SC, Salehi-Abargouei A 2020 · Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr | meta-analysis | mixed | moderate | Meta: canola oil superior to olive oil for TC/LDL reduction head-to-head, implying olive oil's own lipid effect is modest. |
| Schwingshackl L, Bogensberger B, Benčič A, Knüppel S, Boeing H, Hoffmann G 2018 · Nutrients | meta-analysis | supports | high | Network meta 54 trials: olive oil better than butter for LDL but ranked behind safflower/rapeseed. |
| Morvaridzadeh M, Cohen AA, Heshmati J, Alami M, Berrougui H, Zoubdane N, Pizarro AB, Khalil A 2023 · Pharmacol Res | meta-analysis | contradicts | high | Meta 33 RCTs: EVOO no significant effect on TC/LDL/HDL/TG/ApoB/Lp(a). |
| Al-Subari AA, Al-Khatib BY, Al-Tamimi AHS, Al-Arami AM, Naji KM 2026 · Scientific reports | animal | supports | low | Rats w/ diet-induced atherogenesis: olive oil vs atherogenic-diet control (+simvastatin/tallow arms). Olive oil significantly (p<0.001) reduced TC/LDL-C, raised HDL-C vs untreated AGD group. |
| Hohmann CD, Cramer H, Michalsen A, Kessler C, Steckhan N, Choi K, Dobos G 2015 · Phytomedicine | meta-analysis | contradicts | moderate | Meta-analysis of 8 crossover RCTs (355 subjects) of HIGH- vs LOW-phenolic olive oil (olive oil in both arms). On blood cholesterol every standard lipid was null with tight intervals: '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).' The only lipid-related signal was oxidised LDL (n = 300; SMD -0.25; CI -0.50 to 0.00; p = 0.05), an oxidation marker rather than cholesterol level, and borderline. Null on a directional 'improves' claim — contradicts. Caveat: tests phenolic content, not olive oil vs another fat. |
| Frumuzachi O, Kieserling H, Rohn S, Mocan A 2025 · Nutrients | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Meta 14 studies: olive-oil phenolics lowered total cholesterol (SMD -0.19) and triglycerides (SMD -0.32). |
| Lauwers S, Breynaert A, Verlaet A, Fransen E, Bringmans T, Roth L, Tuenter E, Bosmans J, Hermans N 2026 · PloS one | RCT | tested-null | moderate | Olive dry extract 440mg/d (123.5mg oleuropein+25mg hydroxytyrosol) vs placebo, 8wk, n=56 (primary HTN pop). TC, LDL, ApoB fell in BOTH arms, no significant between-group difference. |
Disagree, or know a study we missed?
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Educational only, not medical advice. Grades and scores reflect published evidence weighted by study design and quality; see the methodology.