In December 2019 researchers from Greece and the USA published the results of their study to assess the possible association between exclusive olive oil usage and incidence of obesity, cardiorespiratory fitness and lifestyle factors. A total of 177,091 children, aged 8-17 years, were involved in the study. Information on olive oil consumption, dietary habits and physical activity was collected via questionnaire, whilst body and physical fitness measurements were assessed. Results showed that exclusive olive oil consumption appears to decrease the risk of obesity by 15% and increased the risk of healthy cardiorespiratory fitness by 13%. In addition, exclusive olive oil consumption appeared to be associated with increased likelihood of having good dietary habits, eg better adherence of the Mediterranean diet, by almost four times.
Tambalis KD et al. Exclusive olive oil consumption was favorably associated with metabolic indices and lifestyle factors in schoolchildren. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2019 Dec 12. [Epub ahead of print]