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10th November 2025
02:14pm GMT
You might have heard of the health craze that's been doing the rounds on the wellness side of social media for a while now: a shot of olive oil a day.
A dietician took it upon herself to try it out.
Lauren Manaker and three others decided to give the challenge a go. For a week, they had to take one shot of olive oil a day to see the effects it would have on the body.
She explained that olive oil contains lots of healthy fats and antioxidants, so on paper, it's only beneficial for your body.
Initially, Lauren started by taking her daily shots from a shot glass, however, the texture and flavour quickly caused the dietician to search for alternatives.
She eventually landed on pouring it in her morning coffee or drizzling it over popcorn or vegetables.
She summarised her findings in a piece for Prevention.
Maybe to many's surprise, Lauren actually said she has continued with the trend due to how good it tastes, however, when it came to the results, Lauren recalled that there weren't 'any remarkable changes' in her body.
"I didn’t wake up easier in the mornings, and my focus at work was pretty much unchanged. My skin didn’t suddenly become luminous, nor did my hair take on any extra shine," she said.
She did admit that her not experiencing anything digestion-wise could be due to her not consuming the olive oil in one go.
"I’d read about people drinking olive oil and making a beeline for the restroom, but my experience was completely uneventful in that department," Lauren said.
Lauren did point out that despite not noticing any changes, that didn't mean that the olive oil wasn't positively affecting her body on the inside.
She explained: "You don’t feel your body fighting oxidative stress or reducing inflammation or reducing the risk of cognitive decline, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening."
Additionally, Lauren only did the challenge for a little over a week. It does make you think what kind of benefits or effects it could have on your body if you make a habit of it.
Olive oil is known to be made primarily from monounsaturated fat, which is known to lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol and heighten 'good' HDL cholesterol, which can, in turn, improve cardiovascular health.
In addition, one of the main antioxidants in olive oils, Oleocanthal, is known to have anti-inflammatory effects similar to ibuprofen.
As mentioned before, olive oil is rich in antioxidants and healthy fats, which benefit the brain and help lower the chances of chronic diseases in the future.
Finally, olive oil is believed to benefit weight management.
This last benefit is still up for debate, as olive oil is very high in calories. However, it's believed that the healthy fats can support your metabolism and the oxidation of fat in the body.
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