Beneficial effects of extra virgin olive oil on type 2 diabetes

In contemporary society, chronic diseases become increasingly prevalent, among which is type 2 diabetes. Nowadays, daily diet is gaining growing attention and interest from the general public for its potential to prevent and improve these diseases. One of the ingredients highly recommended to be included in peoples diet is extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), since substantial evidence has shown that it is helpful in reducing body weight and the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Consequently, this review paper is aimed at comparing EVOO with other types of oil or low-fat diets and summarizing its health benefits to type 2 diabetes by analyzing relevant parameters, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body weight, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), etc. A systematic literature search was conducted using Google Scholar with the year range from 2010 to 2023. After being considered against the exclusion criteria, 8 articles were eventually included. Results showed that EVOO is associated with improving some risk factors of diabetes, leading to decreased blood glucose and greater short-term weight loss compared to low-fat diets, and resulting in more body fat loss compared to soybean oil. Thus, EVOO is now expected to be clinically used in treating type 2 diabetes in the future.