Olive Oil And Mediterranean Diet Can Reduce Male Depression: Study Findings
Updated July 7th 2025
Contents
- Introducing The Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Men
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Keep Cholesterol Levels Balanced
- Antioxidants in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Protect Against Chronic Illness
- Vitamins in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Improve Skin Tone And Energy
- Mediterranean Diet Can Reduce Male Depression: New Study
- How The Mediterranean Diet Can Help Beat Depression In Young Men
- The Mediterranean Diet And Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Four More Ways Extra Virgin Olive Oil Boost Men’s Wellbeing
Introducing The Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Men
Looking after your health starts with what you eat. For men, adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet offers many health benefits, from protecting your heart to supporting mental wellbeing and physical performance. High-quality olive oil intake forms a key part of a healthy diet that may help reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, and support long-term cardiovascular health.
The Mediterranean diet supplemented with plant oils like extra virgin olive oil has been widely researched for its protective effects. One of its main components, oleic acid, the main fatty acid in extra virgin olive oil, contributes to a number of known benefits for men’s health.
Olive oil intake is a smart, evidence-backed investment if you’re looking for food-based ways to reduce your risk of chronic diseases, support your energy levels, and protect your heart.
For years, we’ve known that extra virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest dietary fats you can cook with. Now, new randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews are revealing how this Mediterranean staple contributes to the primary prevention of many conditions. According to a recent publication in the Journal of Nutrition, olive oil offers compelling support for both physical and mental health.
Research suggests a clear link between regular olive oil intake and reduced risk of depression, dementia, and cardiovascular disease. Studies have also found correlations with lower cancer risk, improved blood lipids, and a decreased likelihood of metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that includes high blood sugar, high LDL cholesterol, saturated fat intake, and excess abdominal fat. These findings make extra virgin olive oil a key component of healthy eating for men of all ages.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Keep Cholesterol Levels Balanced
Extra virgin olive oil is a proven ally in managing cholesterol levels. Rich in oleic acid, it’s known for its blood lipid-lowering effects. Studies show that consuming as little as two tablespoons per day can lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and support HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), contributing to improved cardiovascular health.
What makes olive oil stand out from seed oils like sunflower oil is its unique balance of healthy fats and antioxidants. Unlike other plant oils, extra virgin olive oil contains powerful polyphenols that work to reduce inflammation in the arteries and maintain flexible blood vessels, both key factors in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
Antioxidants in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Protect Against Chronic Illness
Extra virgin olive oil is one of the most antioxidant-rich plant oils available. It’s especially high in polyphenols and tocopherols, which help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. These compounds also have anti-inflammatory effects, helping to lower blood pressure and protect the body from oxidative stress.
By making EVOO part of a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, and fibre, you can build long-term protection against illness. Unlike many seed oils that are heavily refined, extra virgin olive oil retains its full nutrient profile, making it a natural choice for those looking to reduce cancer risk and maintain good cardiovascular health.
Vitamins in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can Improve Skin Tone And Energy
Extra virgin olive oil isn’t just beneficial for your heart and brain. It also contributes to healthy skin and improved energy. The vitamin E in olive oil acts as a powerful antioxidant, supporting skin cell repair and reducing signs of ageing. When consumed as part of a diet high in nutrient-dense foods, it supports natural energy production and cellular health.
This makes extra virgin olive oil a helpful addition to a healthy eating routine, especially when replacing sources of saturated fat and processed oils.
Extra virgin olive oil offers a combination of natural and scientifically studied compounds supporting physical and mental well-being. The unique composition of Morocco Gold makes it particularly effective when included in a diet rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense whole foods.
In this section, you’ll learn why men benefit from using high-quality extra virgin olive oil, including how its main fatty acid, oleic acid, helps regulate blood lipids, how its antioxidants help protect against chronic diseases like coronary heart disease, and how it supports energy, mood, and resilience as part of a healthy diet.
Whether you aim to manage cholesterol, improve mental focus, or reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, regular olive oil intake makes an innovative and sustainable addition to your everyday meals.
Mediterranean Diet Can Reduce Male Depression: New Study
A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that young men experienced significant improvements in depression symptoms after adopting a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil, nuts, legumes, and vegetables.
The 12-week randomised controlled trial, carried out by researchers at the University of Technology Sydney, highlights the value of healthy eating as a clinical tool. The study’s findings support using a diet high in unprocessed foods and plant oils to improve mood and mental wellbeing in younger men.
According to the study – conducted by researchers at the University Technology of Sydney (Australia) – they should:
“Inform advice given by clinicians to this specific demographic population.”
University Technology of Sydney
How The Mediterranean Diet Can Help Beat Depression In Young Men
Lead researcher Jessica Bayes noted that this was the first randomised clinical trial to assess how a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nutrient-rich foods like extra virgin olive oil affects male mental health. Her team found that improving dietary fats, especially by reducing intake of fast foods and adding plant oils, directly impacted mood.
This study adds to growing evidence within nutritional psychiatry, which explores how food affects brain function. Gut microbes, for example, help produce serotonin, a hormone that affects mood, and these microbes thrive on fibre-rich foods paired with healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil. A diet rich in whole foods and plant oils may play a key role in maintaining good mental health.
“The main objective was to increase the quality of the diet with fresh, whole foods and reduce your intake of “fast” foods, sugar, and processed red meat, there are many reasons why scientifically we think that food affects mood–continues–. For example, about 90% of serotonin, a chemical that helps us feel happy, is produced in our gut by our gut microbes. There is growing evidence that these microbes can communicate with the brain through the vagus nerve, in what is called the gut-brain axis.”
Jessica Bayes
For microbes to be beneficial, we have to feed them fiber, which is found in legumes, fruits and vegetables,” he adds.
The Mediterranean Diet And Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is among the most researched plant oils available. Its benefits are well-documented in systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials, particularly those examining the Mediterranean diet supplemented with high-quality dietary fats.
Thanks to extensive nutritional analysis, we know that olive oil contains a remarkable concentration of polyphenols. These compounds are linked to improved cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, and reduced cancer risk. Unlike seed oils and other plant oils, EVOO is unrefined, meaning its health-protective properties remain intact from harvest to bottle.
Four More Ways Extra Virgin Olive Oil Boost Men’s Wellbeing
If you are a man or care about the health of a man you know and would like to include more of the best olive oil in your diet, this article is for you!
At Morocco Gold, we have collected a lot of science and nutritional advice linking the best extra virgin olive oils with improved outcomes for many health conditions affecting men.
In a report dedicated to men’s health, the olivewellnessinstitute described extra virgin olive oil as a ‘nutritional powerhouse’. Among the list of ways it can benefit a man’s health were:
1/ Heart Disease Risk Reduced By The Best Olive Oil
The olivewellnessinstitute cited studies revealing that men have greater levels of hypertension than women. This in turn is a risk factor of heart disease and stroke. Extra virgin olive oils like Morocco Gold, consumed as part of a Mediterranean Diet contain high levels of antioxidants also found in grape skins, olives and sesame seeds which are thought to benefit the heart. The British Heart Foundation carried out a study that showed increasing your extra virgin olive oil consumption by 10g a day could cut your risk of cardiovascular death and heart disease by 10 per cent.
2/ Weight Loss Following Prostate Cancer
As explained by the olivewellnessinstitute , recommendations for prostate cancer treatment often include weight loss. One study revealed similar weight loss results following either the Prostate Cancer Foundation diet or a plant-based diet that included three tablespoons of EVOO a day for eight weeks. However, those adhering to the plant-based diet showed greater improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control. Further, the researchers concluded that a plant-based diet with EVOO is likely a more acceptable dietary pattern in the long-term.
3/ Male Fertility Boost From Vitamin E
The best extra virgin olive oils contain significant levels of Vitamin E which has been linked to improving sperm count and motility. This fat-soluble vitamin has been shown to shield the sperm’s cell membrane from oxidative damage in infertile men. However, high doses of vitamin E have been linked to prostate cancer and should therefore be discouraged.
4/ The Best Olive Oil Can Reduce Risk Of Colon Cancer
As few as 1–2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil per day have been associated with decreased risk of breast, respiratory tract, and digestive tract cancers. In the case of the digestive tract, reduced risk seems more likely in the upper tract (stomach and small intestine) than in the lower digestive tract (large intestine, including the colon). Scientists have looked at several different mechanisms that might allow Extra Virgin Olive Oil to provide these anti-cancer effects. For more detail on the results of these fascinating studies, take a look here.
Start with your kitchen if you want to support your heart, energy, and long-term well-being.
Buy Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil today, which is rich in polyphenols, full of flavour, and trusted for its quality.