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By Claire Dodds
Life & Trends Reporter
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An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but what about a shot of olive oil?
Olive oil has long been praised for its health benefits, often considered "green gold" by many of its strongest supporters. Rich in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, the oil has been shown to increase "good" HDL cholesterol while lowering levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol.
"This, along with the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in olive oil, may reduce plaque buildup in your arteries. It may also help protect your body from harmful chemicals that have been linked to chronic diseases like cancer, autoimmune diseases and heart disease," reveals UC Davis Health.
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Now, a new study on mice published by the American Diabetes Association reveals that there may be even more benefits to olive oil, though they all depend on when it is consumed.
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Research has previously shown that eating fat before carbohydrates can prevent blood sugar from rising too quickly after a meal, though scientists are unsure why this happens.
The authors of this new study aimed to examine whether eating olive oil before drinking a glucose solution could lower blood sugar.
Namely, they hypothesized that this would slow down how quickly the stomach empties and trigger hormone and nerve signals that help regulate blood sugar.
The findings of the experiment, while conducted in mice, proved promising.
The Results
It appeared that the mice that ingested olive oil before drinking the glucose solution experienced slowed gastric emptying, accompanied by increased glucagon, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and GLP-1 secretion.
With benefits like these, it is no wonder that influencers on social media have begun incorporating shots of olive oil into their daily routine.
However, health expert Lisa Valente, M.S., RD, told Newsweek that this health trend is not the only way to incorporate this liquid gold into your diet.
"We know that pairing carbohydrates with fat helps blood sugar response," she explained. "Fat takes longer to digest and doesn't impact our blood sugar the same way as carbohydrates, so they're a good pair.
"If you were to eat a fat-free meal, having a shot of olive oil first could be beneficial. But I'd rather see people include extra-virgin olive oil in their meals for healthy fats and flavor, rather than do a shot first."
Valente also noted that olive oil, while rich in benefits, still contains about 120 calories per tablespoon. For someone who eats three meals a day, one tablespoon before every meal can add up quickly, totaling about 360 additional calories each day.
She said, "I try to recommend healthy habits that people enjoy. Adding olive oil to a pan before cooking chicken or drizzling a high-quality vinaigrette over salad sounds more delicious than just a shot of olive oil."
'Probably a benefit'
Still, despite the many benefits of this practice, both the authors of the American Diabetes Association study and Valente point out a crucial limitation of the evidence: it has been studied only in mice.
"We have a lot of human research that shows how healthy olive oil can be," Valente noted. "I think we have to think through risks and downsides, and also potential upsides. If this encourages people to use olive oil over other fats, like butter or lard, there is probably a benefit.
"But in general, I would avoid adopting a new health habit just because there is a study that shows a benefit to mice."
While trend-followers await more human-based evidence, they should not see this as a reason to turn their backs on olive oil, though perhaps they do not need to go as far as drinking it straight from the bottle.
Instead, a heart-healthy salad dressing may be a great way to start.
Newsweek has reached out to study authors for comment via email.
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