As more people become conscious of what goes into their food, cooking oils have come under increasing scrutiny, particularly with growing questions around the potential health effects of seed oils. But if you are trying to make healthier choices in the kitchen, that raises an important question: what should you actually use to cook your food? After all, you cannot exactly eliminate oil from every recipe.
According to Dr London, swapping out seed oils and other cooking oils for olive oil can actually be beneficial for your heart. While a substantial body of scientific research supports the potential cardiovascular benefits of olive oil, Dr London highlights one particularly significant study that followed a large group of people over time, examining their dietary habits alongside their cardiovascular health.
He elaborates, “Is olive oil actually good for your heart? The short answer is yes, and the data is impressive. Many large cohort studies highlight the association of olive oil and decreasing heart disease. But the strongest study was a randomised controlled trial of more than 7,000 people for about five years. Participants ate a Mediterranean-style diet. One group added extra virgin olive oil – about four tablespoons a day.”
While changing your dietary patterns and adopting a healthier lifestyle can have positive effects on your overall health, you might assume that adding just four tablespoons of an oil would not make much of a difference. But you would be wrong – in this case, less really is more. Even a relatively small addition of olive oil was associated with significant improvements in heart disease risk.
The heart surgeon highlights, “The result: The olive oil group saw about a 30 percent drop in heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death combined. Stroke risk alone dropped even more.”
Dr London adds that the researchers dug deeper and found that one type of olive oil may offer even greater benefits than regular olive oil. Their findings suggested that extra virgin olive oil was more effective at reducing the risk of heart disease, prompting the heart surgeon to strongly recommend it as a healthier swap worth making.
He explains, “The researchers then dove a little bit further and found that extra virgin olive oil had an even more impressive risk reduction because of the additional polyphenols as well as antioxidants. So yes, extra virgin olive oil is one of the few simple swaps the science actually backs. Adding it to your cooking is an easy win.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
Dr Jeremy London is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon with more than 25 years of experience. He has an MD from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and his focus is on the intersection of lifestyle, preventive medicine, and evidence-based longevity.
Eshana Saha is a fresh face in lifestyle and cultural journalism, bringing a refined, multidisciplinary perspective to the intersection of entertainment, fashion and holistic wellbeing. With less than a year of professional experience, she has quickly adapted to high-pressure editorial environments and currently works full-time with HT Media. Prior to this, she interned for nearly six months with Hindustan Times’ entertainment and lifestyle vertical, where she gained hands-on experience in digital reporting, trend analysis and editorial storytelling. Based in New Delhi, Eshana specialises in comprehensive coverage of major cultural moments — from international film press tours to the curated aesthetics of global fashion showcases, award shows and music-centred events. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from St Xavier’s University, Kolkata, and a Master’s degree in English from the University of Delhi, equipping her with a strong academic foundation and a keen ability to deconstruct complex cultural trends into clear, high-impact narratives. Beyond the red carpet, Eshana has developed a growing focus on health and wellbeing reporting. She bridges the gap between celebrity-driven trends and practical, evidence-informed lifestyle advice, ensuring her work remains both aspirational and grounded in editorial rigour. She has extensively covered the health implications of Delhi’s air pollution crisis, while also playing a key role in amplifying expert-led insights on women’s health and mental wellbeing, helping translate complex medical perspectives into informed, impactful public awareness. An artist at heart, she explores multiple creative forms — from visual arts and music to culinary experiments — and brings a creative’s eye for nuance, texture and detail to every story. Whether analysing runway dynamics or examining emerging wellness movements, she remains committed to accuracy and the highest standards of contemporary journalistic ethics.Read More
