A clinical trial set out to answer a simple question: can the right kind of olive oil, taken in the right amount every day, actually lower blood pressure? The answer was striking. Women with stage 1 hypertension who consumed about two tablespoons of polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil daily saw their systolic blood pressure drop by nearly 7 points and their diastolic pressure fall by 4 points — in just eight weeks. That’s not a side effect. That’s a result.
High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer.” It rarely announces itself. Most people feel fine right up until they don’t. And while medication is often needed, dietary changes can offer real, measurable support — if they’re specific enough to matter. The problem is that most dietary advice for blood pressure is frustratingly vague. “Eat less salt.” “Add more olive oil.” But how much? What kind? Does it matter how you use it?
It turns out it matters a great deal. This isn’t just about fat. It’s about chemistry.
The Magic Number: Two Tablespoons (30 mL) Daily
The study that produced those headline numbers — a 2012 crossover trial by Moreno-Luna and colleagues, published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases — used a very specific protocol. In this crossover design, the same 24 women consumed both polyphenol-rich EVOO and refined olive oil in different eight-week periods, with a washout period in between. When they consumed the polyphenol-rich oil, their systolic blood pressure dropped from an average of 138.4 mmHg to 130.7 mmHg. When they switched to refined olive oil — same fat content, no polyphenols — the benefit disappeared entirely.
That’s the key detail most articles miss. The dose was 30 mL — roughly two tablespoons. Not a drizzle. Not a splash in a pan. A consistent, intentional daily amount.
A practical way to hit that number: take one tablespoon in the morning, blended into a smoothie or drizzled over avocado toast, and one tablespoon with dinner as a finishing oil over vegetables, pasta, or fish. You can also use it as a dipping oil with bread. The goal is to make it a deliberate habit, not an afterthought.
It’s worth noting that this study was small — 24 women — and focused on a specific group. The results are compelling, but they shouldn’t be read as a guarantee for everyone. The evidence becomes much stronger when you look at larger, longer-term research.
It’s Not Just Fat — It’s Pharmacology
Here’s where things get interesting. Why would olive oil lower blood pressure when other fats don’t?
The answer lies in a group of plant compounds called polyphenols. In high-quality EVOO, the most important ones are oleuropein and oleocanthal. These compounds reduce oxidative stress and calm inflammation in the walls of your arteries. When inflammation drops, the artery walls can relax — a process called vasodilation — which increases the availability of nitric oxide, a natural signaling molecule that tells blood vessels to widen. Wider vessels mean lower pressure.
This mechanism helps explain why the refined olive oil group in the Moreno-Luna trial saw no benefit. Refined olive oil has the same fat content as EVOO, but the refining process strips out the polyphenols. Without those compounds, you lose the pharmacological effect entirely. You’re left with just fat.
Supporting this, a broader analysis published in Nutrition Reviews in 2014 by Schwingshackl and colleagues reviewed 32 randomized controlled trials involving 841 participants and found that olive oil reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 2.80 mmHg and diastolic by 2.37 mmHg compared to other dietary oils. That might sound modest, but across a population, a 2–3 point drop in average blood pressure translates to meaningful reductions in stroke and heart attack risk.
The fat isn’t the medicine. The polyphenols are.
The “Cough Test”: How to Buy the Right Oil
Most olive oil sold in supermarkets won’t deliver these effects. Here’s why: many bottles on shelves contain oil that’s too old, too refined, too blended, or too poorly stored to retain meaningful polyphenol content. You could follow the 30 mL protocol perfectly and still get almost no benefit if the oil itself is nutritionally hollow.
So how do you know you’re buying the real thing?
Taste it. High-polyphenol EVOO has three clear signs of life. The first is a grassy or green, sometimes peppery, aroma when you open the bottle. The second is a bitter sensation on the tongue — the kind that makes you think of unripe fruit or fresh herbs. The third — and most telling — is a peppery, almost scratchy burn at the back of your throat when you swallow. This is sometimes called the “cough test” because a truly high-phenolic oil will make you want to cough. That sensation is caused by oleocanthal, one of the most studied anti-inflammatory polyphenols in the oil. If the oil is smooth, mild, and tastes like nothing in particular, the polyphenols are gone.
When shopping, look for oil in dark glass bottles — light degrades polyphenols quickly. Check for a harvest date (not just a “best by” date) and aim for oil pressed within the last 12 to 18 months. Oils labeled “light” or “pure” are refined and will not provide the same benefits. Look for certifications like PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) or a quality seal from a recognized producer organization.
Once you bring the bottle home, store it in a cool, dark place — not next to the stove where heat accelerates degradation. Once opened, aim to use it within two to three months for maximum polyphenol content. If you buy in bulk, decant smaller amounts into a dark bottle for daily use and keep the main supply sealed and cool.
Busting the Smoke Point Myth
There’s a widespread belief that cooking with EVOO destroys its benefits, making it pointless — or even harmful — to use for anything other than drizzling over salads. This idea has discouraged a lot of people from using olive oil as frequently as they should.
The fear stems from concerns about smoke point. EVOO has a lower smoke point than many refined seed oils, which is true. But what matters for health isn’t the smoke point — it’s the stability of the oil under heat, and how much of the beneficial content survives cooking.
Data from the large-scale PREDIMED trial (discussed more below) showed significant cardiovascular benefits in participants who used EVOO generously in their cooking, not just as a raw condiment. The antioxidants in EVOO actually help protect the oil from oxidation during heating, making it more stable than many people assume.
That said, raw is better than cooked for maximum polyphenol retention. A “Raw First, Cooked Second” approach works well in practice: use your best, most expensive high-phenolic EVOO for drizzling on finished dishes, salads, and bread, and use a good-quality standard EVOO for sautéing vegetables, roasting, or cooking eggs. This way you preserve the most potent oil for direct consumption while still reaping benefits from the cooked oil. Using EVOO for sautéing is still a better choice than corn, soybean, or sunflower oil by a significant margin.
The Mediterranean Multiplier
Olive oil doesn’t work in isolation. Its effects on blood pressure are amplified when it’s part of a broader eating pattern — particularly one rich in vegetables.
Here’s why: certain vegetables, like spinach, arugula, beets, and celery, are high in dietary nitrates. When EVOO’s polyphenols interact with nitrates in the body, research suggests they can form compounds called nitro-fatty acids — potent activators of nitric oxide pathways that tell blood vessels to relax. While this interaction is still being studied, it provides a clear reason why olive oil and vegetables appear to work particularly well together. Drizzling EVOO over a spinach salad isn’t just tasty. It’s a well-reasoned combination.
This is where the PREDIMED trial becomes so valuable. The PREDIMED study — originally published in 2013 and republished in 2018 after a corrected analysis that confirmed the original findings (the retraction stemmed from protocol deviations at two sites, not from fabricated data) — followed 7,447 adults at high cardiovascular risk over a median of nearly five years. Participants assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with approximately 50 mL of EVOO per day showed a systolic blood pressure reduction of about 5.9 mmHg and a diastolic reduction of 2.6 mmHg at three years, along with a 30% reduction in major cardiovascular events compared to those on a low-fat diet.
Fifty milliliters is more than the 30 mL used in the Moreno-Luna trial, and that higher amount reflects how olive oil functions in a true Mediterranean eating pattern — as the primary cooking and finishing fat throughout the day, not a targeted supplement taken in addition to other fats. PREDIMED’s participants were also older adults at high cardiovascular risk, so results shouldn’t be directly compared to a shorter trial in younger hypertensive women. But together, these studies tell a consistent story: regular, generous use of high-quality EVOO, as part of a vegetable-rich diet, is one of the most well-supported dietary strategies for cardiovascular health that exists.
Who Benefits Most? Managing Expectations Honestly
The 7-point systolic drop from the Moreno-Luna study is compelling. But it came from a specific group: women with stage 1 hypertension, in a controlled crossover setting, over eight weeks. That context matters.
If you already have elevated blood pressure, you’re more likely to see meaningful reductions from this protocol. People with normal or low-normal blood pressure may see smaller changes, though research like the PREDIMED substudy by Medina-Remón and colleagues (2015) suggests that EVOO consumption improves arterial compliance and vascular flexibility even in people without clinical hypertension — a meaningful long-term benefit even if the numbers on the cuff don’t shift dramatically.
There’s also a critical point about how olive oil fits into your diet. This is a replacement strategy, not an add-on. If you add 30 mL of olive oil on top of your current diet without changing anything else, you’re adding about 360 calories a day. Weight gain raises blood pressure. The benefit comes when you swap olive oil in place of butter, margarine, corn oil, or other refined seed oils — not when you pile it on top.
If you’re currently taking blood pressure medication, it’s worth discussing this dietary change with your doctor. The blood pressure-lowering effect of high-polyphenol olive oil isn’t dangerous, but it can work alongside medication in ways that may eventually call for a dosage review. That’s a positive outcome — but one worth monitoring with your physician’s guidance.
A 2004 study by Perona and colleagues compared virgin olive oil to butter in 20 healthy men over four weeks and found that the olive oil group showed lower blood pressure and a better cholesterol profile. Again, the key word is “swapped” — the oils replaced each other in the diet.
Similarly, a crossover trial by Ruano and colleagues (2005) tested 50 mL per day of virgin olive oil in 28 adults with hypertension — a higher dose than in the Moreno-Luna study — and found systolic blood pressure dropped by 8 mmHg and diastolic by 6 mmHg in the untreated hypertensive group. Endothelial function also improved. The control intervention used sunflower oil, which produced no such benefit. Again: it’s the polyphenols, and it’s the swap.
Your 8-Week Challenge
The evidence points in a clear direction. Two tablespoons of high-polyphenol EVOO per day, used consistently as a replacement for less healthy fats, can produce real, measurable improvements in blood pressure — especially for people with elevated levels.
The protocol is simple: 30 mL daily, from a high-phenolic, properly stored, recently harvested EVOO. Use it raw when you can. Use it cooked when that’s what the meal calls for. Pair it with vegetables. Stick with it for eight weeks before judging the results.
This isn’t a cure, and it’s not a substitute for medical treatment if your doctor has prescribed one. But as a dietary strategy with a strong evidence base, low risk, and a genuinely enjoyable form of delivery — good olive oil is one of the few things that tastes like indulgence and acts like medicine.