Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Extra-virgin olive oil has earned a reputation as one of the healthiest fats on the planet. As a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, it's associated with better heart health, healthier blood vessels, lower inflammation, and improved metabolic function.
☠️ But can olive oil help protect your bones, too?
Emerging research suggests the answer may be yes. The same compounds that make extra-virgin olive oil beneficial for your heart and brain may also help slow age-related bone loss.
Why Olive Oil May Be Good for Your Bones
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) contains natural plant compounds called phenols, which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Researchers believe these compounds strengthen bones in two ways:
- Reducing oxidative stress, which can damage osteoblasts, the cells responsible for building new bone.
- Lowering inflammation, a process that can accelerate bone breakdown and contribute to bone loss over time.
Beneficial Bioactives
The compounds in EVOO that appear most beneficial are hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and oleocanthol.
- Oleocanthol may have effectiveness against pain similar to ibuprofen. It may lessen arthritis and joint pain.
- Hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein fight oxidative stress. The latter two compounds also improve your ability to downregulate inflammation, and burn fat for fuel. They may boost creation of new mitochondria—cells that are your body’s energy factories.
- Oleic acid is another anti-inflammatory compound in olive oil that gets a lot of love. This monounsaturated fatty acid makes up a large percentage of the total fat in olive oil. It is tied to better heart health, and perhaps lowers risk for cancer.
- It’s worth mentioning that olive oil is a good source of vitamin E, which acts as a powerful antioxidant. This fat-soluble vitamin is best consumed in food rather than supplements.
While there are other helpful compounds in olive oil, these are some of the best-known.
Especially Relevant for Older Women
Some studies also suggest olive oil may influence estrogen-responsive genes, a potential benefit for postmenopausal women, who experience accelerated bone loss after menopause.
While more research is needed, the evidence points to extra-virgin olive oil as part of a bone-friendly eating pattern.
How Much Olive Oil Is Needed?
If bone health is your goal, research suggests aiming for just under 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil daily (50ml).
That might sound like a lot, but it can be surprisingly easy to work into your meals.
🍳Breakfast
- Cook eggs in olive oil.
- Blend a tablespoon into a smoothie.
- Stir a little into a savory yogurt bowl.
🥗Lunch
- Dress a salad generously with olive oil-based vinaigrette.
- Enjoy a Caprese sandwich with pesto, tomato, and mozzarella.
- Drizzle olive oil over a bowl of soup.
🍽️Dinner
- Sauté fish, chicken, or vegetables in olive oil.
- Use it in rice pilafs and grain bowls.
- Toss roasted vegetables with olive oil before serving.
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🥖And, of course, there's always the pleasure of dipping crusty bread into a richly flavored extra-virgin olive oil.
Simple Recipes for Adding EVOO to Your Meals
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Think of this pesto-like dressing as an everything sauce. It brightens salads, adds flavor to grain bowls, and pairs beautifully with grilled seafood, chicken, and pork.
Asparagus in Foil
Bathed in olive oil and lemon, this easy side dish is ready from the grill or oven in less than 15 minutes.
Pesto Roasted Vegetables
Tossed in olive oil-rich pesto sauce, this Mediterranean veggies sheet-pan recipe, is an excellent sidekick for almost any protein.
Plus, it's a terrific meal prep that can be tossed into wraps (lunch) or put to work as the base of a grain bowl (dinner)!
Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto
One of the findings of Mediterranean diet research is that adding nuts and seeds and extra EVOO to food is highly beneficial. This pesto can help you add the goodness of both to your meals!
Additional Health Benefits of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
The potential perks of olive oil extend beyond bone health.
Research suggests EVOO may:
- Support healthy cholesterol levels
- Improve vascular function and blood flow
- Help maintain healthy blood pressure
- Improve blood sugar regulation
- Support a healthy gut microbiome
- Provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits throughout the body
- Improve joint pain
- Ease constipation
These benefits help explain why olive oil remains a central feature of the Mediterranean diet, one of the most researched and recommended dietary patterns in the world.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oils I Use and Like
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This award-winning oil has a delicious flavor for everyday use and is cold-pressed to preserve the precious polyphenol content. Although it's not inexpensive, it's a good value at less than $23 for the 500 ml bottle.
This product is part of the California Olive Ranch portfolio and contains a blend of extra-virgin olive oils from several world regions like Spain, Chile, Argentina, and more. The taste is more buttery. The cost of a 500 ml bottle starts at about $22.
Cobram offers a wide variety of extra-virgin olive oils from California that have won many awards. It's often sold in 375 ml bottles for about $12.
FAQ
As a fat, it is calorie-dense, so it could possibly cause weight gain when used too liberally. However, there is also some research that suggests it helps with weight management for two reasons:
1️⃣ It’s satiating, and promotes a feeling of having eaten well.
2️⃣ It has metabolic benefits that could prime the energy-creating systems in your body to use food more efficiently.
For bone density and other health benefits, EVOO is the best choice. It contains the most anti-inflammatory, antioxidant compounds that benefit bones and other health parameters.
However, for cooking, olive oils that are lighter and refined can have benefits for heart health.
No individual food can prevent osteoporosis by itself. Bone density depends on many factors, including adequate calcium, protein, vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin K, regular weight-bearing exercise, genes, physiology, and overall dietary quality.
Olive oil may support bone health as one part of a comprehensive bone-friendly lifestyle.
Yes; it works fine for most purposes, including sauteing, since it is heat-stable to a temperature between ~350 to 400 F. Try it in baked goods, too! The Culinary Institute of America recommends cooking with EVOO whenever possible!
The Bottom Line
Extra-virgin olive oil isn't a magic bullet for preventing osteoporosis and other diseases related to aging. But as part of a nutrient-rich eating pattern that includes adequate protein, calcium, vitamin D, and regular exercise, it may help support lifelong bone health.
The best part? It's an easy habit to adopt.
Whether you drizzle it over vegetables, whisk it into vinaigrettes, or use it for cooking, extra-virgin olive oil adds flavor, versatility, and a growing list of health benefits to your plate.
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