Olive oil linked to lower blood pressure

Moderate intake of olive oil, a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, was successful in reducing the blood pressure of healthy men who don’t usually eat a Med-type diet, suggests a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

The researchers randomly assigned 110 healthy men from non-Mediterranean countries (Germany, Finland and Denmark) and 45 men from Mediterranean regions (Spain and Italy) to include one of three similar olive oils (25 millilitres per day) in their diets. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) of the non-Mediterranean men decreased significantly by three percent, compared to baseline measurements.