Q: My doctor told me that because I am at risk for cardiovascular disease, I should be eating a lot more olive oil. That doesn’t make any sense to me. Isn’t it a fat and shouldn’t I be careful of all fats?
— Harry T., Boston
A: As with lots of medical advice, the answer is a little complex. A new study shows that some kinds of olive oil do, in fact, significantly reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease — but not all.
That’s the conclusion that comes from a study recently published in Cardiovascular Diabetology. The researchers from Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard and MIT’s Broad Institute, and several institutions in Spain were aiming to find out the impact of olive oil on both diabetes and heart disease; they ended up discovering that it doesn’t reduce the risk of diabetes, but it can protect the heart and vascular system.
Through a careful analysis of the contents of various olive oils, the researchers discovered that extra-virgin (EVOO) and virgin olive oil (VOO), which are made by mechanically pressing the olives, contain a potent mix of monounsaturated fatty acids and a lot of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, healthy lipid derivatives and vitamin E. In contrast, refined or common olive oil has a lot lower level of those good-for-you phytochemicals.
So how to incorporate more EVOO into your diet? Because EVOO and VOO have a lower smoke point than refined olive oils, it may be best to use it unheated on salads, steamed vegetables, in cold sauces, poured onto cooked whole-wheat pastas once they are dished up and in gently sauteed or pan-heated foods.
You can find great recipes using EVOO in Dr. Mike’s “What to Eat When Cookbook,” such as Smokin’ Baba Kalamata and Carrot Top Pesto. And discover what Dr. Mike learned in 2023 in an olive-oil pressing cave when he taught a healthy cooking class in Puglia, Italy, at “Awaiting Table” with Michael Crupain and the incredible Silvestro Silvestori (awaitingtable.com).
Q: A lot of friends say that they aren’t going to drink in January, and some are giving it up completely because it is so risky. Others say they believe it is good for their health. What’s the story?
— Sandra W., Westfield, New Jersey
A: It is true that social drinking in moderation can provide a feeling of connection and relaxation that is emotionally beneficial, and there’s some evidence (sometimes disputed) that, in moderation, drinking may have health benefits for your heart and blood vessels and may even offer some protection against gallstones and Type 2 diabetes. But the Mayo Clinic and Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health do caution that even moderate drinking isn’t risk-free and heavy drinking is a major cause of preventable death in most countries.
That’s supported by a recent World Health Organization finding that “alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including ... bowel cancer and female breast cancer. And the more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing cancer.” And now a study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that reducing the amount of alcohol you drink — or abstaining completely — lowers your risk of oral and esophageal cancer.
If you do drink moderately, it’s smart to up your use of nutrition and supplements to protect yourself from potential harm. Enjoy foods high in B vitamins, such as salmon, leafy greens, legumes and 100% whole grains like brown rice, barley and millet. Get plenty of vitamin C from citrus fruits, guavas, black currents and kale and E from almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, beet greens and peanuts, even black coffee. Plus, consider supplements of liver-protective milk thistle, alpha lipoic acid and NAC — aka N-acetyl cysteine. Also, consider a daily probiotic to help counter alcohol’s negative effect on your microbiome — along with eating prebiotics like kimchi and sauerkraut.
