The study, published on Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that people who consume more than half a tablespoon (7 grams) of olive oil per day have been found to have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease and respiratory disease. .

Researchers also found that people live longer when they replace 10 grams per day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise and dairy fat, with olive oil. .

Chan School of Public Health – analyzed 60,582 women and 31,801 men who were participants in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, according to a press release. .

Every four years, participants’ diets were assessed with a questionnaire that asked them how frequently they consumed specific types of fats and oils and what kinds of oils they used for cooking, the press release said. ?

Researchers found that participants who consumed more olive oil were more likely to be physically active, less likely to smoke, had a greater consumption of fruits and vegetables and were more likely to have Southern European or Mediterranean ancestry, the press release said. .

Compared to participants who rarely or never consumed olive oil, participants who consumed the most olive oil were found to have a "19% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, 17% lower risk of cancer mortality, 29% lower risk of neurodegenerative mortality and 18% lower risk of respiratory mortality," the press release said. 

When participants substituted other fats – including margarine, butter, mayonnaise and dairy fat – with olive oil, there was between 8% and 34% lowered risk of death, the study found. 

"Our findings support current dietary recommendations to increase the intake of olive oil and other unsaturated vegetable oils," Guasch-Ferré, the study’s lead author, said in a press release

"The current study and previous studies have found that consumption of olive oil may have health benefits," Larsson said, per the press release