Five Things Your Olive Oil Should Be Doing for Your Body
Jun 02, 2026
Sicilians have been putting olive oil on everything for centuries. Turns out they were onto something. Here are some of the benefits of a premium olive oil:
#1 The polyphenols are what make it medicine
Polyphenols are the bioactive compounds in olive oil that drive most of its health benefits: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and neuroprotective. The amount of polyphenols in an oil depends primarily on two things: the cultivar and the harvest timing. This is why not all olive oils are equal, and why the specific Sicilian varieties in a bottle matter enormously. Research on Nocellara del Belice and Biancolilla, two of the three cultivars used in Pegaso, has confirmed both are high-polyphenol varieties, particularly when harvested early.
#2 That pepper in your throat is a good sign
The peppery, slightly bitter finish of a good extra virgin olive oil is not a flaw. It's oleocanthal: a naturally occurring compound that works in the body similarly to ibuprofen, inhibiting the same inflammatory enzymes. That's not a metaphor. That's chemistry!
Oleocanthal has been linked to reduced risk of heart disease, protection against neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's, and anti-cancer properties. The stronger the pepper hit, the higher the oleocanthal content. Ooh! If your olive oil tastes like nothing, so does its health profile :(
#3 It is genuinely good for your heart
The Mediterranean diet's reputation for cardiovascular health is built substantially on olive oil. The oleic acid in EVOO (a monounsaturated fat) helps reduce LDL cholesterol while maintaining HDL. The polyphenols, particularly hydroxytyrosol, offer additional cardiovascular protection through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The European Food Safety Authority has approved a health claim specifically linking olive oil polyphenols to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. That is a meaningful bar to clear.
#4 Early harvest technique: less oil, more of everything that matters
Olives harvested early (still green, just slightly underripe) contain significantly higher polyphenol concentrations than olives harvested late, when they are fully black and soft. Most large-scale producers harvest late because the yield is higher and the oil is easier to extract. Early harvest means less oil per olive, more labor, and a smaller bottle. It also means a healthier, more flavorful product. The bitterness and pepperiness of an early-harvest oil are its health credentials, worn openly.
#5 You need more than a drizzle
Most people dramatically underdose olive oil and wonder why they don't feel the difference! The research showing meaningful cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory benefits is based on roughly 2 to 4 tablespoons a day — now that's a real pour, not a scrape across a pan or a mist from a spray bottle.
The Mediterranean diet wasn't built on restraint. It was built on people who used olive oil as their primary fat, generously, lovingly, at every meal. On bread, on vegetables, on cheese, finishing a pasta, straight from the spoon. There is never too much olive oil, by the way. Use it accordingly.
Good olive oil is one of the simplest upgrades you can make to how you eat.
Pour it on more things. Have a sip straight from the spoon. Use it daily, and let the pepper at the back of your throat tell you it's working.
This is what centuries of getting it right tastes like!
