Here's Exactly What Happens to Your Blood Pressure When You Cook With Olive Oil

If you're part of the nearly half of all U.S. adults with high blood pressure, you know that a major step to taking control of your health is following a heart-healthy diet. It's empowering to know that high blood pressure is reversible; just because your blood pressure may not be where you want it to be right now doesn't mean it has to stay that way.



The DASH diet (an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) was created specifically to lower blood pressure, and it's been scientifically shown to work. This eating plan emphasizes eating lots of vegetables, fruit and whole grains, and moderate amounts of meat, low-fat dairy, nuts and seeds.



Related: The One Habit That Can Lower Your Blood Pressure Overnight, According to a Cardiologist



If lowering blood pressure is one of your health goals, it's not just what you eat that's important. How you cook it matters, too. For example, think of the spices and cooking oils you use regularly. Often, these spices and cooking oils are kept right by the stove so you can easily reach for them, unlike the spices and oils you use less often that may be buried in the pantry. Since you're incorporating these ingredients into your meals regularly, they greatly impact your health.



With this in mind, Parade reached out to heart health experts-a cardiologist and a cardiac dietitian-to find out how various cooking oils impact blood pressure. If you cook with olive oil regularly, how will that affect your blood pressure? And how does cooking with olive oil compare to cooking with other popular oils, such as canola or vegetable oil? Keep reading to find out.



Related: Here's Exactly What Happens to Your Blood Pressure When You Eat Yogurt

How Cooking With Olive Oil Impacts Blood Pressure

If you want a cooking oil that will support healthy blood pressure, olive oil is a great choice. Dr. Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, an associate professor of nutrition and health sciences in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island and volunteer chair of the American Heart Association's Lifestyle Nutrition Committee, explains that this is because it's high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, which both help lower blood pressure. She says that they do this by promoting vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels) and improving the vascular tone of arteries.

Dr. Jayne Morgan, MD, a cardiologist, the vice president of medical affairs at Hello Heart who is working with SeeYourRisks.com, also says that cooking with olive oil can help lower blood pressure, telling Parade, "Olive oil improves nitric oxide availability and therefore better vasodilation of arteries, leading to lower blood pressure." Nitric oxide signals to the smooth muscles in blood vessels to widen and relax.

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The antioxidants in olive oil make it an especially great cooking oil for lowering blood pressure.

"Antioxidants protect blood vessels from oxidative damage, which can injure the lining of blood vessels, and plaques form to repair those injuries," Dr. Vadiveloo says. "Over time, plaque accumulation narrows blood vessels, which causes the heart to pump harder to effectively deliver blood throughout the body. In addition to increasing blood pressure, the regular strain increases the size of the left ventricle and increases the risk of heart failure."

Dr. Morgan explains that another reason why olive oil supports blood pressure is that it's anti-inflammatory, which helps prevent oxidative damage to the endothelium, a large organ that helps keep blood moving smoothly throughout the body. "Olive oil doesn't just lower blood pressure, it makes arteries behave younger," she says.

Scientific research backs up the connection between consuming olive oil and healthy blood pressure. And that's not the only way it supports heart health. Since it's anti-inflammatory, Dr. Morgan notes that it it benefits cardiovascular health as a whole and helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, Dr. Vadiveloo says that the unsaturated fats in olive oil can help lower LDL cholesterol, which is a primary way to lower the risk of coronary heart disease.

When buying olive oil, just be sure it's extra-virgin olive oil specifically, which both experts say packs the most health benefits.

Is Cooking With Olive Oil Better for Blood Pressure Than Other Oils?

No doubt cooking with olive oil supports blood pressure, but how does it compare to cooking with other popular cooking oils? In general, Dr. Morgan says that cooking with olive oil is healthier than any other oil, such as canola or vegetable oil.

"The difference is that olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated fats, whereas canola oil contains a combination of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats," she says, adding that vegetable oil has a high amount of polyunsaturated fats, which are more prone to heat-induced oxidation.

When this happens, it forms aldehydes and other byproducts that are harmful to the vascular system. "Extra-virgin olive oil slows the oxidation during cooking, whereas canola and vegetable oils have a greater tendency to oxidize when heated or reused," she explains.

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If you cook with animal-based products like butter or beef tallow, Dr. Vadiveloo says that switching to cooking with olive oil can be especially beneficial for heart health because you'll be replacing an ingredient high in saturated fats (which aren't great for cardiovascular health, in excess) with an ingredient high in unsaturated fats (which do support heart health).

When it comes to diet and heart health, what you cook with regularly matters. Making your go-to ingredients ones that directly support your health will set the foundation for a truly nourishing meal.

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Sources

• High Blood Pressure Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Onwuzo, C., Olukorode, J. O., Omokore, O. A., et al. (2023). DASH Diet: A Review of Its Scientifically Proven Hypertension Reduction and Health Benefits. Cureus. 15(9):e44692.
• Dr. Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, associate professor of nutrition and health sciences in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island and volunteer chair of the American Heart Association's Lifestyle Nutrition Committee.
• Dr. Jayne Morgan, MD, cardiologist, the vice president of medical affairs at Hello Heart and who is working with SeeYourRisks.com, a two-minute heart health assessment.
• Houston, M. and Hays, L. (2014). Acute Effects of Oral Nitric Oxide Supplement on Blood Pressure, Endothelial Function, and Vascular Compliance in Hypertensive Patients. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension. 16(7):524-529.
• Endothelium. Cleveland Clinic
• Massaro, M., Scoditti, E., Annunziata Carluccio, M., et al. (2020). Effects of Olive Oil on Blood Pressure: Epidemiological, Clinical, and Mechanistic Evidence. Nutrients. 12(6):1548.

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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 10:50 AM.