Olive Oil Benefits for Women: Heart, Hormones and What the Research Shows
Search for olive oil benefits for female health and you will meet the same promises on page after page: balanced hormones, an easier menopause, protection against breast cancer and glowing skin. The research behind those claims is very uneven. The heart evidence is large, including a US analysis that followed 61,181 women for 24 years and a Spanish trial of 7,447 adults, 57% of them women. The breast cancer finding that everyone quotes comes from 35 cases in a secondary outcome of that same trial. Menopause, bone and PCOS claims rest on smaller or indirect studies, and on skin, the best-known laboratory study found that olive oil weakened the skin barrier. This guide sorts each claim by the kind of study behind it, so you can see what is well supported, what is an early signal and what has outrun the evidence.
For our own oil, see our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Marrakech.
The Short Answer
- The strongest evidence for women concerns the heart. In US data that included 61,181 women from the Nurses' Health Study, people who used more than half a tablespoon (about 7 g) of olive oil a day had a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than non-users over 24 years (Guasch-Ferré M et al., J Am Coll Cardiol 2020, PMID 32147453). That is an association, not proof of cause.
- The PREDIMED trial (Estruch R et al., N Engl J Med 2018, PMID 29897866) enrolled 7,447 high-risk adults, 57% of them women, and recorded fewer major cardiovascular events on a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil than on advice to cut dietary fat.
- The breast cancer result most often quoted is a secondary outcome of PREDIMED in 4,152 women, with only 35 cases in total. It is an intriguing signal, not evidence that olive oil prevents breast cancer.
- For menopause and bones, the evidence is indirect: a Mediterranean-style eating pattern was linked with fewer hot flushes in a cohort of 6,040 Australian women, and higher extra virgin olive oil intake with fewer fractures in a PREDIMED sub-cohort of 870 men and women.
- For PCOS, the one randomised trial we found gave olive oil to 72 women for 10 weeks and saw no significant change in blood lipids.
- On skin, olive oil applied to the forearm for four weeks reduced skin-barrier integrity in a small study, and in pregnancy a trial of 100 women found it did not significantly prevent stretch marks.
What the Evidence Looks Like, Claim by Claim
Women searching this topic meet human trials, large population studies, laboratory work and pure assertion presented side by side. The table separates them. A randomised trial in people is the strongest evidence here; a cohort study shows an association that may have other explanations; a secondary or sub-group analysis of a trial is a lead worth following up, not a settled result.
| Claim for women | Best human evidence we found | Type of study | How much weight it carries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart and circulation | Guasch-Ferré 2020 (61,181 women plus 31,797 men); PREDIMED 2018 (7,447 adults, 57% women) | Large cohort; randomised trial of a diet pattern | Strongest of the claims, though still about diet, not a cure |
| Breast cancer | Toledo 2015 (4,152 women, 35 cases) | Secondary outcome of a randomised trial | Intriguing signal; far too few cases to settle anything |
| Menopausal hot flushes | Herber-Gast 2013 (6,040 women, 9 years) | Cohort study of overall eating patterns | About a Mediterranean-style diet; olive oil not tested alone |
| Bones and fractures | García-Gavilán 2018 (870 men and women, 114 fractures) | Observational analysis nested in a trial | Association only; diet allocation itself made no difference |
| PCOS | Yahay 2021 (72 women, 10 weeks) | Small randomised trial | No significant lipid benefit from olive oil |
| Skin barrier | Danby 2013 (19 adult volunteers) | Small controlled study of topical use | Points the other way: barrier integrity fell |
Read down the right-hand column and a pattern appears: the further a claim moves from the heart towards hormones and appearance, the thinner the olive-oil-specific evidence becomes.
Heart Health: Where the Evidence for Women Is Strongest
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death in women, not only men, and it is where olive oil has its best evidence. Guasch-Ferré M and colleagues (Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2020;75(15):1729–1739, PMID 32147453) followed 61,181 women in the Nurses' Health Study and 31,797 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for 24 years. Compared with non-users, those using more than 7 g of olive oil a day had a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18% lower risk of coronary heart disease. Replacing 5 g a day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise or dairy fat with olive oil was associated with a 5% to 7% lower risk.
Two limits matter. These are associations from food questionnaires, so healthier habits among olive oil users could explain part of the gap. And olive oil did not come out ahead of other plant oils combined, which suggests much of the benefit comes from replacing animal and processed fats.
The trial evidence comes from PREDIMED. As republished by Estruch R and colleagues (New England Journal of Medicine 2018;378(25):e34, PMID 29897866), 7,447 Spanish adults aged 55 to 80 at high cardiovascular risk, 57% of them women, were assigned to a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil, the same diet with nuts, or advice to cut dietary fat. The olive oil group had fewer major cardiovascular events (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.91). Our full write-up of olive oil and heart health covers the trial in detail, including the original paper's withdrawal and republication.
Breast Cancer: What the PREDIMED Finding Does and Does Not Show
The claim that olive oil protects against breast cancer usually leads back to Toledo E and colleagues (JAMA Internal Medicine 2015;175(11):1752–1760, PMID 26365989). Breast cancer was a prespecified secondary outcome of PREDIMED in 4,152 women aged 60 to 80 with no previous breast cancer. Over a median of 4.8 years, 35 cases were confirmed. The rate was 1.1 per 1,000 person-years in the extra virgin olive oil group, 1.8 in the nuts group and 2.9 in the control group, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.32 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.79) for the olive oil group.
Those numbers look striking, but the trial was designed to study heart disease, not cancer. Thirty-five cases is a very small number on which to base any conclusion, the women were older and at high cardiovascular risk, and the olive oil came as part of a whole Mediterranean diet. The honest reading is that this is a signal worth testing in larger studies, not evidence that olive oil prevents breast cancer. Screening, family history and breast changes belong with your GP. If you came here for topical breast-care claims instead, our separate article on olive oil for breast care separates tradition from myth.
Menopause and Bone Health: Promising Patterns, Indirect Evidence
We found no trial testing olive oil on its own for menopausal symptoms. The closest evidence is diet-wide. Herber-Gast GC and Mishra GD (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2013;97(5):1092–1099, PMID 23553160) followed 6,040 women in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health through natural menopause for nine years. Women whose diets most resembled a Mediterranean-style pattern were about 20% less likely to report hot flushes and night sweats (odds ratio 0.80) than those whose diets resembled it least, while a high-fat, high-sugar pattern was linked with more symptoms.
Bone health matters more after menopause, as bone density falls. García-Gavilán JF and colleagues (Clinical Nutrition 2018;37(1):329–335, PMID 28143667) analysed 870 men and women from the Reus centre of PREDIMED over a median of 8.9 years and recorded 114 osteoporosis-related fractures. Those in the highest third of extra virgin olive oil intake had a 51% lower fracture risk than the lowest third (hazard ratio 0.49). Being assigned to the olive oil diet made no difference, total olive oil intake showed no link, and the analysis was observational, so it shows an association rather than an effect. Questions about hot flushes, bone density or HRT are best taken to your GP.
PCOS, Hormones and Weight: What Has Actually Been Tested
"Olive oil balances female hormones" is one of the most repeated claims online, and we could not find a human study that measured it. The one randomised trial on olive oil in polycystic ovary syndrome we found, by Yahay M and colleagues (Lipids in Health and Disease 2021;20(1):7, PMID 33514384), gave 72 women with PCOS 25 g a day of canola, olive or sunflower oil for 10 weeks. Canola oil improved several blood-lipid measures; olive oil produced no significant reduction in the lipid profile.
That is one small trial, and it does not mean olive oil is unhelpful in a healthy diet. It does mean that "olive oil for PCOS" is not supported by the evidence we found. For a look at another oil that is often discussed for women's health, see our evidence review of black seed oil benefits for women.
Skin and Hair: Better on Your Plate Than on Your Face
Olive oil is widely sold as a natural moisturiser, so one study is worth knowing. Danby SG and colleagues (Pediatric Dermatology 2013;30(1):42–50, PMID 22995032) asked 19 adult volunteers to apply six drops of olive oil to one forearm twice a day. After four weeks, olive oil had significantly reduced the integrity of the skin's outer layer and caused mild redness, while sunflower seed oil preserved it and improved hydration. The authors advised against olive oil for dry skin.
It was a small study on forearms, not faces, but it is the best controlled evidence we found, and it points away from olive oil as an everyday skin treatment. Our guide to olive oil for skin covers the wider picture, including when a patch test makes sense.
Pregnancy: Food Is Fine, Treat the Claims With Care
As an ordinary cooking fat, olive oil is part of normal eating in pregnancy, and the Mediterranean-style diets studied above include it daily. The claims to treat carefully are the ones about applying it. Soltanipoor F, Delaram M and Taavoni S (Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2012;20(5):263–266, PMID 22863639) randomised 100 first-time pregnant women to twice-daily olive oil on the abdomen or nothing. Severe stretch marks were less frequent with olive oil, but there was no statistically significant difference in how often stretch marks appeared or how severe they were, and the authors concluded it could not be recommended for prevention.
Anything beyond food use, such as oils marketed for labour, supplements or capsules, is a question for your midwife or GP. Our article on olive oil in pregnancy goes through safety in more detail.
How Much Olive Oil, and Which Kind
The amounts in this research are modest. The US cohorts compared people using more than 7 g a day, about half a tablespoon, with those using almost none. Our guide to how much olive oil per day sets out what each study actually used.
The useful move is swapping rather than adding: olive oil in place of butter, margarine or mayonnaise, not on top of them. Olive oil has around 120 calories per tablespoon, so pouring extra over an unchanged diet adds energy without the substitution the research rewards.
Grade matters too. PREDIMED used extra virgin olive oil, and the fracture finding applied to extra virgin oil only. Its polyphenols survive best in fresh, cold-pressed oil kept in dark glass and are largely lost in refined and "light" olive oils. Our guide to choosing a quality olive oil explains what to check on a label, including the harvest date.
The Objections Worth Taking Seriously
"Women who use olive oil are probably just healthier." Partly, yes. The cohort studies adjusted for diet and lifestyle, but no adjustment is perfect. That is why we lean on the PREDIMED trial for the heart and describe the cohort, menopause and fracture findings as associations.
"A 68% lower breast cancer risk sounds like proof." It is a large relative figure from 35 cases in a trial designed for heart outcomes. Small numbers produce dramatic hazard ratios with wide confidence intervals, which is why this result needs repeating before anyone relies on it.
"Then why not just use any vegetable oil?" A fair point. In the 2020 US analysis olive oil did not beat other plant oils combined, and in the PCOS trial canola oil did better on lipids. Extra virgin olive oil's distinguishing feature is its polyphenol content and its central place in the Mediterranean diet that PREDIMED tested.
Why Sidr & Stone
If the research rewards fresh, minimally processed extra virgin olive oil used in place of other fats, the practical question is how a bottle is made. Sidr & Stone's Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil comes from our own family-owned farm on the plains outside Marrakech, where we control every step from tree to bottle.
- Single-estate — our own family-owned farm near Marrakech, Morocco; no blending across origins
- Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides (not yet certified; certification in progress)
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch; once it is gone, it is gone until the next harvest
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — to protect flavour, aroma and polyphenols
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed; natural sediment is normal
- 100% natural — a single ingredient, nothing added
- Dark glass with a gold label — 500ml, packaged to protect the oil from light
- 10% of profits to charity
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil for women — that would be the very kind of claim this article warns against. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that the evidence of that care is in the taste, the colour and the small single-harvest batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main olive oil benefits for women?
The best-supported benefit is cardiovascular: in US cohorts including 61,181 women, using more than 7 g of olive oil a day was associated with a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and the PREDIMED trial, 57% women, found fewer cardiovascular events on an olive-oil-supplemented Mediterranean diet. Claims about hormones, menopause and skin rest on much thinner evidence.
Does olive oil help with menopause?
No trial has tested olive oil alone for menopausal symptoms that we could find. A cohort of 6,040 Australian women linked a Mediterranean-style diet with fewer hot flushes and night sweats, and olive oil is one part of that pattern.
Does olive oil reduce the risk of breast cancer?
That has not been shown. A secondary outcome of the PREDIMED trial recorded fewer breast cancers in women on an extra virgin olive oil Mediterranean diet, but there were only 35 cases in total, so it is a signal for further research rather than evidence of prevention.
Is it good to put olive oil on your face?
The evidence is not encouraging. In a small controlled study, olive oil applied to the forearm for four weeks reduced skin-barrier integrity and caused mild redness, while sunflower seed oil did not.
How is Sidr & Stone's olive oil different from supermarket olive oil?
It is single-estate, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest on our own farm outside Marrakech, and it is unfiltered extra virgin. Many supermarket oils are blends from several countries, and some are refined.
Is olive oil safe to eat during pregnancy?
As a normal cooking fat, olive oil is part of everyday eating. Applying it to prevent stretch marks did not make a significant difference in a trial of 100 women, and questions about supplements or using oils around labour are for your midwife or GP.
Where can I buy Sidr & Stone olive oil?
Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Marrakech (500ml) is available to pre-order as a limited single-harvest batch directly from our website, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US; the product page shows current shipping dates.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
For women, the honest summary is uneven. The heart evidence is real and large: tens of thousands of women followed for decades, and a randomised trial, mostly of women, in which an olive-oil-rich diet came out ahead. The rest is thinner. The breast cancer result rests on 35 cases, menopause and bone findings on diet patterns and associations, PCOS on one trial that found no lipid benefit, and skin on a study that pointed the other way.
That is still a good reason to make extra virgin olive oil your everyday fat, used in place of butter and processed spreads. It is not a reason to treat it as a hormone, cancer or beauty product. For the parallel evidence review, see our guide to olive oil benefits for men.
Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Marrakech — single-estate, rain-fed and cold-pressed within hours of harvest — is available to pre-order now, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
Disclaimer: This article describes published research on olive oil and women's health at the time of writing; research findings may change, and readers should check current sources. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, including hormonal, menopausal, breast or pregnancy-related questions, consult a qualified medical professional.