Olives have more polyphenols than EVOO

[AnUser]

What olives do people like here (there’s so many variants and processing)?
Would eating some olives every day give benefits of the Med diet that would otherwise come from EVOO?
What other foods are important component of Med diet that is equivalent to what olives is to EVOO?

Great talk on seed oils

One black olive (5 grams) has about 5 mg polyphenols and 5 kcal. Two olives 10 mg polyphenols, for 10 kcal has the same polyphenol count as 2 tbsp of High Polyphenol EVOO for 240 kcal. I have archived black olive total polyphenol count here with sources: https://archive.is/sMweT and the composition of polyphenols: https://archive.is/5mZEy Here is the data of the polyphenols in black olives. Lower down is Bryan Johnson’s EVOO. Oleuropein is 72 mg / 100 g for black olives while 6.1 mg / kg for the EVOO, for example. The hydroxytyrosol content of my EVOO is 40 mg/100 g. It’s still much less than black olives matched by calories (900 kcal vs. 115 kcal). It’s so much in olives then so yes a few olives will give way more polyphenols than the best EVOO ever could it seems for the typical intake. mean content min max SD n N number of references Vegetables - Fruit vegetables - Olive [Black], raw Flavonoids Anthocyanins Cyanidin 3-O-g…

[AlexKChen]

How about bitter green olives? Castelveltrano?

[relaxedmeatball]

That’s a good point. My current EVOO, (Oliviers and Co) is from an October 2024 harvest, and has 593mg/kg polyphenols, or ~5.9 mg per 10 ml shot, at a “cost” of ~90 kcal.

However, I think the broader question is: do we really know that polyphenol count is what matters? I was under the assumption that the oleic acid itself is one of the bioactive, beneficial components.

[AnUser]

Green olives has about 39% more according to the phenol-explorer database if that helps: http://phenol-explorer.eu/

Wondering about tomatoes

@relaxedmeatball

I was under the assumption that the oleic acid itself is one of the bioactive, beneficial components.

Omega-9 which is oleic acid, is a common fatty acid in nuts and seeds, do you think it’s this that’s important with regards to benefits of EVOO?

[Curtis_Hibbs]

I just added Olive Leaf Extract to my stack based on this:

New Data: Unexpected Benefits of Olives on Muscles

Extra Virgin Metabolism: The Compound That Keeps Your Muscles Young

[relaxedmeatball]

@AnUser

Omega-9 which is oleic acid, is a common fatty acid in nuts and seeds, do you think it’s this that’s important with regards to benefits of EVOO?

Honestly I don’t know. Most of the studies showing benefits of EVOO are usually when people replace worse fats, like swapping butter for EVOO. And higher nut consumption is also generally associated with living longer.

The way I am seeing it is that there is a reasonable bit of evidence that EVOO is cardioprotective. And I can take 2x10ml shots per day, at a cost of 180kcal, which isn’t too bad. It has no distinguishable effects on my lipids, so the risk seems very low.

[Dr.Bart]

Costco carries Organic Castelvetrano Green Olives, to die for ! I put in all my salads an, sliced them when I make pasta or just eat them out of the jar.

[AlexKChen]

Highest Polyphenol Olive Varieties

Olive Variety	Color	Polyphenol Content	Bitterness Level
Koroneiki	Green	(very high)	(bitter)
Picual	Green	(very high)	(bitter)
Coratina	Green	(very high)	(very bitter)
Mission	Green	(high)	(moderate)
Manzanilla	Green	(moderate)	(moderate)

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Why Green & Bitter Olives Have More Polyphenols

• Oleuropein (a potent antioxidant) is highly concentrated in green, bitter olives.
• As olives ripen, oleuropein breaks down into hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, reducing overall polyphenol content.
• More polyphenols = more antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

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Best Olives & Olive Oils for Maximum Polyphenols

• Olive type:
  • Koroneiki, Picual, and Coratina are among the best.
• Processing method:
  • Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) from early-harvest olives retains the most polyphenols.
  • Raw, unprocessed olives (brine-cured, dry-cured) preserve more polyphenols than those treated with lye (which removes bitterness but reduces polyphenols).

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[AnUser]

@AlexKChen

Best Olives & Olive Oils for Maximum Polyphenols

To be clear, even standard black olives has more polyphenols than premium EVOO.

[Alex_Miller]

I like the taste of kalamata olives better than manzanilla and most LLMs tell me they are higher in polyphenol content also

[Beth]

Fyi, I just searched costco and didn’t find any olives?

[Dr.Bart]

Costco items can vary quite a bit by location. Have you ever been to one in Kauai or Maui - totally different items - lots of Hawaiian Punch, Macademia nuts, local cookies, Poke etc,

[AnUser]

Green olives has seemingly almost twice the amount of sodium.

Polyphenols to sodium ratio is probably important. Black olives win in this regard.

[Coachrhyk]

Luque olives from Whole Foods are fantastic. I eat all kinds of olives from everywhere my whole life (73). These are my favorite for taste. I’ve been trying to get a tree for years.

[Agetron]

I agree have eaten them my whole life. And, so great for the muscles.

Kalamata olive nutritional benefits
Link: Kalamata Olives: Nutrition Facts and Benefits

[Beth]

The only olives I’ve ever loved are the ones that come in the prolon kit!

I wish I knew how to source those @约瑟夫_拉维尔

[Joseph_Lavelle]

@Beth the package says “product of Italy” …and I agree they taste very good. But I like all olives.

[Olafurpall]

@AnUser

Would eating some olives every day give benefits of the Med diet that would otherwise come from EVOO?

Yes, that is very likely. I’ve been eating some olives daily for many years partly for that reason.

[JFM322]

They ARE delicious and you can buy them online at Thrive - Pitted Green Olives, Original | Thrive Market

[Beth]

I use thrive!!! I’ll order them, thank you!