Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Research demonstrates that increased consumption of olive oil is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a global health problem affecting more than 382 million people worldwide and 29.1 million adults in the United States (1-3). Research has shown that lifestyle modification is effective in preventing type 2 diabetes (1, 4). Olive oil, which has been shown to improve various cardiovascular risk factors, has now been shown to also be associated with a decreased risk for type 2 diabetes (1).
The research included participants from two large cohort studies: the Nurses’ Health Study (n=59,930; age range 37-65 years) and Nurses’ Health Study II (n=85,157; age range 26-45 years). Dietary intake of over 130 food items was measured by a food frequency questionnaire administered to participants every four years. Total olive oil consumption was a combination of salad dressing olive oil and olive oil added to food or bread (1).
The participants were followed for 22 years. After 22 years, a total of 5738 cases of type 2 diabetes were confirmed for the Nurses’ Health Study and 3914 cases in the Nurses’ Health Study II. The following results were observed:
- Total olive oil intake was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. (HR (95%CI) 0.87 (0.80, 0.96) for participants consuming more than 1 tablespoon olive oil per day compared to those who never/almost never consumed olive oil (p-trend<0.001)).
- Every additional 1-tablespoon intake of olive oil was associated with a 6% reduction in type 2 diabetes (HR:0.94; 95%CI 0.90, 0.99).
- Women with higher olive oil intake were older, tended to exercise more, had lower body mass index (BMI) and were more likely to be of Southern European/Mediterranean ancestry.
- Women who consumed more olive oil also ate more fish, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts.*
- Replacing 1 tablespoon of margarine, butter, or mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of olive oil was associated with a predicted lower risk of type 2 diabetes. There was a 5% lower risk when replacing margarine with olive oil, 8% lower risk when replacing butter with olive oil, and 15% lower risk when replacing mayonnaise with olive oil (1).
The study results suggest that a higher intake of olive oil is beneficial in type 2 diabetes prevention (1). Another research study on the Mediterranean diet found that supplementing with extra-virgin olive oil reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 40% over a four-year period (5). This data supports previous evidence that the type of fat versus total fat intake is the key for type 2 diabetes prevention (1,6).
In conclusion, increased olive oil consumption was associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers suggested that due to the public health concern of type 2 diabetes, replacing fat-based salad dressing with olive oil should be considered for reducing type 2 diabetes (1). Since this was the first large cohort study over a long period of time to investigate olive oil consumption and type 2 diabetes, future research with other cardiovascular disease risk factors should also be considered.
*Abstractor’s Note: Because of the fact that those consuming greater amounts of olive oil were of lower Body Mass Index and whose diets were higher in helpful factors, future research should be done to rule out these factors.
Source: Guasch-Ferré, Marta, et al. “Olive oil consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in US women.” The American journal of clinical nutrition (2015): ajcn112029.
© 2015 by the American Society for Nutrition
Posted July 28, 2015.
Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.
References:
- Guasch-Ferre M, et al. Olive oil consumptions and risk of type 2 diabetes in US women. 2015 Am J Clin Nutr. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.115.112029.
- International Diabetes Federation. IDF diabetes atlas, 6th ed. Brussels (Belgium): International Diabetes Federation, 2013.
- Type 2 Diabetes Statistics and Facts. Healthline.
- Narayan KM, et al. Diabetes—a common, growing, serious, costly, and potentially preventable public health problem. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2000;50 (Suppl 2):S77–84.
- Salas-Salvadó J,et al. Prevention of diabetes with Mediterranean diets: a subgroup analysis of a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 2014;160:1–10.
- Risérus U, Willett WC, Hu FB. Dietary fats and prevention of type 2 diabetes. Prog Lipid Res 2009;48:44–51.
