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Healthy Fats · Fatty acids
Oleic Acid: Benefits, Best Food Sources & How Much You Need
What oleic acid is, which foods give you the most, what the trials show for your cholesterol, blood sugar and inflammation, how it compares with linoleic acid, and how much to aim for each day.
Evidence-based46 sources citedUpdated October 6, 2026
The Dr. Axe Score™
Scientific Evidence
7.2/10
Meta-analyses of 26, 31 and 102 randomized trials, feeding trials in which every meal was provided, a large diet trial with olive oil, and cohorts of more than 90,000 adults.
Bioavailability & Absorption
8.8/10
More than 99% absorbed in a controlled feeding study, plentiful in everyday foods, and an oleic-rich oil helped people absorb carotenoids from a salad.
Clinical Effectiveness
8.2/10
Our judgment: the main fat in Dr. Axe's everyday oil and an easy swap for saturated fat, with steady effects on LDL, apoB, blood sugar and CRP.
Safety & Tolerability
9.0/10
No upper limit set at food amounts. Small deductions for calories, one trial's rise in Lp(a) and olive oil's effect on the skin barrier when applied to the skin.
Why this score?
Why Oleic Acid scores 8.2 / 10
It's the main fat in extra virgin olive oil, Dr. Axe's everyday oil, which adds polyphenols on top. Weighting: Evidence 30% · Bioavailability & Absorption 25% · Clinical Effectiveness 25% · Safety & Tolerability 20% (7.2×0.30 + 8.8×0.25 + 8.2×0.25 + 9.0×0.20 = 8.21, shown as 8.2). How we score
A transparent, weighted index built for supplements. See how it’s calculated →
Interaction check: Low. Oleic acid is a normal part of the food supply, and the FDA authorizes it as a direct food additive.6 If you take medication to lower your blood sugar, check your levels as your diet changes, since the doctor who manages it may need to adjust the dose.
Oleic acid at a glance
Oleic acid is the omega-9 monounsaturated fat that makes up about 71% of olive oil, and it's the main fat in avocados and many nuts.12 A tablespoon of olive oil supplies about 9.6 grams.1
- Cholesterol: across 26 randomized trials, diets built on oils that were at least 70% oleic acid lowered LDL cholesterol by about 5 mg/dL3
- Blood sugar: in 24 trials of people with type 2 diabetes, diets rich in monounsaturated fat lowered fasting blood sugar by about 10 mg/dL compared with higher-carbohydrate diets4
- Inflammation: across 31 randomized trials of 1,634 adults, eating more oleic acid lowered CRP, a blood marker of inflammation5
- Safety: a normal food fat, with no upper limit set at food amounts6
Extra virgin olive oil, avocado, olives and almonds are all on the eat-freely list in the free Anti-Inflammatory Reset.
Olive oil is mostly one fat, and that fat is oleic acid. The name even comes from the olive: "oleic" means related to, or derived from, oil or olive.7 The same fat is the main one in avocados, almonds, macadamia nuts and olives, and your body makes some of its own.289106
Its shape explains its strengths. With a single double bond, oleic acid is far steadier in a hot pan than the polyunsaturated fat that dominates most refined seed oils.711 In your body, it does its best work when it takes the place of saturated fat or refined carbohydrates on your plate.312 My advice is to make extra virgin olive oil your go-to oil for nearly everything.13
At the cellular level, olive oil protects your membranes with a double layer of defense: the monounsaturated fat oleic acid strengthens and stabilizes, while the polyphenols … actively fight off oxidative stress and inflammation.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSFrom Heal Your Cells (with Dr. Will Cole, 2026), p. 124, "Nearly Essential Fats: Olive oil (the cellular shield)"
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Open the free protocol → →Did you know?
Oleic acid is the most widely distributed and abundant fatty acid in nature, according to the medical dictionary definition in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's chemistry database.7
One whole avocado carries about 18 grams of oleic acid, close to what you'd get from 2 tablespoons of olive oil.21
Macadamia nuts carry a second monounsaturated fat alongside their oleic acid: about 3.7 grams of palmitoleic acid in an ounce.9
What is oleic acid?
Quick answer
Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid: an 18-carbon fat with one double bond and the formula C18H34O2.7 It's the main fat in olive oil and avocados, and because your body can make it, it has no official daily requirement.126
Fatty acids are the chains your body builds fats from, and they're sorted by their double bonds. Saturated fats have none, monounsaturated fats like oleic acid have one, and polyunsaturated fats such as linoleic acid have two or more.11 Its "omega-9" label tells you where that one double bond sits: nine carbons in from the end of the chain. The bond has a cis shape, which puts a kink in the molecule. Chemists list its weight as 282.5 grams per mole.7
Oleic acid also makes up nearly all the monounsaturated fat you eat. By the Institute of Medicine's count, about 92% of dietary monounsaturated fat is oleic acid, and Americans averaged about 28.7 grams of monounsaturated fat a day in its 2002 report.6 Because your body makes monounsaturated fat on its own, the Institute set no daily requirement for it.6
A short history of oleic acid
People have been eating oleic acid in olive oil since the Bronze Age, roughly 3,500 to 1,200 BC, when olive growing flourished around the Mediterranean.6 The modern chapter is much newer. High-oleic sunflower oil, bred to carry far more oleic acid than regular sunflower oil, originated in Russia in the mid-1970s, and in 2018 the FDA allowed a qualified health claim for oils rich in oleic acid.6
What foods are highest in oleic acid?
Quick answer
Olive oil is the richest everyday source, at 71.3 grams of oleic acid per 100 grams, or about 9.6 grams a tablespoon, with avocado oil close behind at 67.9 grams.115 Per serving, a cup of avocado or an ounce of hazelnuts, macadamia nuts or pecans gives you more than a tablespoon of olive oil, and almonds come close.2169178
| Food | Serving | Oleic acid per serving | Oleic acid per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
Avocado, raw | 1 cup cubed (150 g) | 13.6 g | 9.07 g2 |
Hazelnuts | 1 oz (21 kernels) | 12.9 g | 45.4 g16 |
Macadamia nuts, raw | 1 oz (10 to 12 kernels) | 12.4 g | 43.8 g9 |
Pecans | 1 oz (19 halves) | 11.5 g | 40.6 g17 |
Olive oil | 1 Tbsp (13.5 g) | 9.6 g | 71.3 g1 |
Avocado oil | 1 Tbsp (14 g) | 9.5 g | 67.9 g15 |
Almonds | 1 oz (23 kernels) | 8.9 g | 31.3 g8 |
Cashews, raw | 1 oz | 6.7 g | 23.5 g18 |
Olives, ripe | 10 large (44 g) | 3.3 g | 7.47 g10 |
Grams of oleic acid in one serving
Avocados and nuts also bring fiber and protein that a bottle of oil doesn't carry.216
Olive oil, avocado and macadamia nuts head the list of monounsaturated-fat foods in The Biblio Diet, where Jordan Rubin and I explain that these fats help balance cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, and we describe almonds as rich in monounsaturated fat too.19 On my show, I called macadamia oil a sleeper pick, with the same stable oleic acid that makes olive oil great.20
What is oleic acid good for?
Quick answer
Oleic acid is best supported for lowering LDL cholesterol and apoB when it takes the place of saturated fat. Human trials also show steadier blood sugar, lower CRP and lower blood pressure, and the foods richest in it, above all extra virgin olive oil, are linked to a lower combined rate of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death and a longer life.321452223
Where the research stands
Oleic acid has been tested the way people eat it: as olive oil, high-oleic oils and whole diets, in dozens of randomized trials and in cohorts of more than 90,000 adults.3523 The trial that tracked heart attacks and strokes tested a whole Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil rather than oleic acid on its own.22
| Benefit | Evidence | What was studied | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
Lower LDL cholesterol and apoB | Strong | Oils at least 70% oleic acid, or oleic-rich diets, in place of saturated fat or lower-oleic oils | LDL down about 5 mg/dL across 26 trials; about 10% lower LDL than a palm oil blend in 60 adults321 |
Steadier blood sugar | Moderate | Monounsaturated-rich diets in place of carbohydrate or saturated fat | Fasting blood sugar down about 10 mg/dL in type 2 diabetes; HbA1c down 0.09 percentage points per 5% of calories moved from carbohydrate424 |
Lower CRP | Moderate | Eating more oleic acid | A clear drop in CRP5 |
Heart health and a longer life | Moderate | Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil; olive oil and plant-source monounsaturated fat | A combined measure of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death lowered by about 30%; 19% lower death rate with more than ½ tablespoon of olive oil a day2223 |
Lower blood pressure and body weight | Moderate | Monounsaturated-rich diets in place of higher-carbohydrate diets | Systolic pressure down 2.31 points and weight down 1.56 kg in type 2 diabetes4 |
Holds up in a hot pan | Preclinical (lab) | Olive oils and a high-oleic oil against refined seed oils | Extra virgin olive oil formed the fewest breakdown compounds25 |
How oleic acid works in your body
Oleic acid works in two ways: your cells use it as building material, and when it takes the place of saturated fat on your plate, your blood fats improve. In my episode on fats and your cells, I made the point that "you are what you eat" is most true about fats, because the fat you eat literally becomes part of your cells.13 The step researchers have measured most directly in people is the swap itself:
1It takes the place of a lower-oleic fat
In 26 randomized trials, oleic-rich oils such as olive oil and high-oleic seed oils took the place of lower-oleic fats such as palm oil, dairy fat and regular seed oils.3
2Your gut absorbs nearly all of it
In a controlled feeding study of 11 healthy men, more than 99% of the oleic acid in their meals was absorbed, about the same as most of the other fats tested.26
3Your cholesterol ratio improves
Across 60 controlled feeding trials, swapping saturated fat for unsaturated fats like oleic acid lowered the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol; swapping it for carbohydrate didn't.27
4Fewer cholesterol carriers
In a USDA feeding trial, 60 adults were assigned four diets in turn (53 finished at least one), and LDL, apoB and the number of LDL particles all came down on a high-oleic oil compared with a palm oil blend.21
5A lower risk profile
Lower total and LDL cholesterol in trials like these is what the FDA weighed when it allowed a qualified claim that oleic-rich oils, used in place of fats higher in saturated fat, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.6
Oleic acid benefits, ranked by evidence
Here's what the human research supports, strongest first. Oleic acid does the most for your cholesterol numbers, with good support for blood sugar, inflammation and the heart outcomes tied to olive oil.
1
Lower LDL cholesterol and apoB
Strong evidenceHuman studyMeta-analysis · 26 randomized trials · 1,244 adults; feeding trial, four diets in turn · 60 adults, 53 finishedPooling 26 randomized trials with 1,244 adults, diets built on oils that were at least 70% oleic acid, mostly olive oil and high-oleic seed oils, lowered LDL cholesterol by about 5 mg/dL, with a similar drop in total cholesterol, compared with diets built on palm oil, dairy fat or regular seed oils. The authors rated their confidence in the LDL finding as moderate, the drop was larger in trials where oleic acid made up 80% or more of the fat, and apolipoprotein A1, the main protein in HDL particles, rose slightly.3
A tightly controlled USDA trial shows the effect up close: 60 adults with moderately high LDL ate meals prepared for them and each followed four diets for 29 days apiece; 53 finished at least one diet, and neither the people nor the researchers knew which oil was in the food. Compared with a palm oil blend, the diet made with high-oleic soybean oil left LDL about 10% lower (119.8 vs. 133.0 mg/dL), apoB 7% lower and LDL particles 9% lower, with small, dense LDL about 22% lower. HDL ran slightly higher on the palm blend, and the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol still favored the high-oleic oil. The USDA and a soybean-industry group funded the trial.21
Study takeaway: oils at least 70% oleic acid lowered LDL by about 5 mg/dL across 26 trials, and a high-oleic oil left LDL about 10% lower than a palm oil blend.
LDL was about 10% lower on the high-oleic oil diet than on the palm oil blend
2
Steadier blood sugar
Moderate evidenceHuman studyMeta-analyses · 24 trials in type 2 diabetes and 102 feeding trials; randomized trial · 162 adults · 3 monthsIn 24 randomized trials with 1,460 people who had type 2 diabetes, diets rich in monounsaturated fat lowered fasting blood sugar by about 10 mg/dL (0.57 mmol/L) compared with higher-carbohydrate diets, along with triglycerides down about 27 mg/dL and HDL up about 2 mg/dL.4 In an analysis of 102 controlled feeding trials with 4,220 adults, replacing 5% of calories from carbohydrate with monounsaturated fat lowered HbA1c by 0.09 percentage points and HOMA-IR, a measure of insulin resistance, by 2.4%.24
The 26-trial oleic analysis found no change in fasting blood sugar or insulin when oleic-rich oils replaced other fats, though, as its authors noted, those trials didn't use more sensitive tests of how the body handles glucose.3 The KANWU trial did: 162 healthy adults were randomly assigned to a diet rich in saturated or monounsaturated fat for 3 months, and insulin sensitivity fell 10% on the saturated-fat diet while holding steady on the monounsaturated one (up 2%, not significant). Among people eating less than 37% of their calories from fat, it rose 8.8% on the monounsaturated diet and fell 12.5% on the saturated diet.28
Study takeaway: in 162 adults, a monounsaturated diet kept insulin sensitivity steady while a saturated-fat diet lowered it.
Insulin sensitivity rose 8.8% on the monounsaturated diet and fell 12.5% on the saturated one
3
Lower inflammation
Moderate evidenceHuman studyMeta-analysis · 31 randomized trials · 1,634 adults · 4 weeks or longer · CRP SMD −0.11Across 31 randomized trials with 1,634 adults, each lasting at least 4 weeks, eating more oleic acid lowered C-reactive protein (CRP), a blood marker of inflammation, by a clear 0.11 standard deviations, while TNF, IL-6 and four other inflammatory markers held steady.5 That makes oleic-rich fats a natural fit for an anti-inflammatory diet, especially extra virgin olive oil, which brings its polyphenols along.
Study takeaway: across 31 randomized trials, eating more oleic acid lowered CRP.
4
Heart health and a longer life
Moderate evidenceHuman studyRandomized diet trial · 7,447 adults · 4.8 years; cohorts · 92,383 adults; meta-analysis · 32 cohortsIn PREDIMED, a randomized trial of 7,447 Spanish adults aged 55 to 80 at high cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil lowered a combined measure of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by about 30% over a median of 4.8 years, compared with advice to cut back on fat.22
In two cohorts of U.S. nurses and health professionals, 92,383 adults followed for 28 years, people who used more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day had 19% lower risk of death from any cause than people who rarely used it, and swapping olive oil in for margarine, butter, mayonnaise or dairy fat was linked to 8% to 34% lower risk, though against other plant oils combined the difference wasn't significant.23
When researchers in the same cohorts split monounsaturated fat by its source, people eating the most from plant sources, with olive oil and nuts among the main ones, had 16% lower total mortality, and replacing 5% of calories from saturated fat with it was linked to 16% lower mortality and 17% lower coronary heart disease risk. The most monounsaturated fat from animal foods was linked to 16% higher mortality, which the authors suggest reflects other parts of those foods, such as saturated fat, rather than the monounsaturated fat itself. Food-industry scientists were among the co-authors of those two analyses.1229
Across 32 cohort studies with 841,211 people, the highest intakes of monounsaturated fat, olive oil and oleic acid, taken together, were tied to 11% lower all-cause mortality and 17% lower stroke risk, with olive oil showing the clearest links.30
Study takeaway: a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil lowered a combined measure of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by about 30%.
5
Lower blood pressure and body weight
Moderate evidenceHuman studyMeta-analyses · 10 studies (7 randomized); 24 trials in type 2 diabetesAcross 10 studies (7 of them randomized) that fed people diets with the same calories, blood pressure ran 2.6 points lower systolic and 1.8 points lower diastolic on diets rich in monounsaturated fat than on high-carbohydrate diets, with a smaller gap, too small to rule out chance, in the 6 studies where each person ate both diets.31 In people with type 2 diabetes, the 24-trial analysis found systolic pressure 2.31 points lower and body weight 1.56 kg (about 3.4 pounds) lower on monounsaturated-rich diets than on higher-carbohydrate diets.4 For more on eating to lower your numbers, see the high blood pressure diet.
Study takeaway: monounsaturated-rich diets lowered systolic blood pressure 2.31 points and weight 1.56 kg in people with type 2 diabetes.
6
Holds up in a hot pan
Preclinical (lab heating test)In vitro (lab)Lab heating test · 10 supermarket oilsA lab in Australia that tests olive oil heated 10 supermarket oils two ways, a climb to 464°F (240°C) and 6 hours at 356°F (180°C), and measured polar compounds, the breakdown products that build up in cooking oil. Oils richer in polyunsaturated fat tended to form more. Averaged across both tests, extra virgin olive oil ended at 8.47%, the lowest of the 10, with coconut oil at 9.30%, virgin olive oil and high-oleic peanut oil at 10.71%, avocado oil at 11.60% and regular olive oil at 11.65%, against 15.57% for sunflower oil and 22.43% for canola oil. Smoke point didn't predict how well an oil held up.25
Study takeaway: in a lab heating test of 10 supermarket oils, extra virgin olive oil formed the fewest breakdown compounds.
Why extra virgin olive oil is the best way to get oleic acid
Extra virgin olive oil gives you oleic acid together with the polyphenols that come with it, and in a head-to-head trial, the two together did more for your HDL than the fat alone. In a randomized trial of 47 healthy European men, each man took 25 mL (about 1⅔ tablespoons) a day of two raw olive oils for 3 weeks apiece: one rich in polyphenols (366 mg/kg) and one nearly free of them (2.7 mg/kg), with the same fat. Only the polyphenol-rich oil improved cholesterol efflux, HDL's ability to pull cholesterol out of cells, up 3.05% against a 2.34% drop on the low-polyphenol oil, and its HDL particles grew larger.32 Refining, with its bleaching and high-heat deodorizing, strips out those protective antioxidants.11
That's why my default bottle is extra virgin olive oil, for dressings, drizzling and most cooking. Avocado oil, my number two, is mostly monounsaturated fat like olive oil, and it's the one I reach for when searing and roasting at higher heat.1120 When you buy extra virgin olive oil, look for a recent harvest date, a named origin, dark glass or a tin, and a fresh, peppery taste.33 Keep either oil in a cool, dark cupboard, away from the stove.1133
Oleic acid vs. linoleic acid: what's the difference?
Oleic acid is an omega-9 fat with one double bond, and linoleic acid is an omega-6 fat with two, so linoleic acid oxidizes more easily under heat, light and air.711 Linoleic acid is the main fat in most refined seed oils, while oleic acid leads in olive and avocado oil.11
My read is that linoleic acid from whole foods, such as nuts, seeds and whole grains, isn't something to fear, and the "omega-6 is inflammatory" slogan is too simple; the real concern is the sheer volume of refined, oxidation-prone omega-6 we now get from processed food.11
On cholesterol, the two are close. In a 2026 analysis of randomized trials (53 records, 1,690 adults), diets high in polyunsaturated fat lowered LDL about 3 mg/dL more than diets high in monounsaturated fat, and lowered HDL a little more too, by less than 1 mg/dL; one author reported funding from cotton and pecan industry groups.34 Oleic acid pulls ahead on heat stability, and on blood sugar in diabetes: in four trials with 44 people who had type 2 diabetes, monounsaturated diets lowered fasting blood sugar about 16 mg/dL (0.87 mmol/L) more than polyunsaturated diets.4 The practical answer is to enjoy linoleic acid in whole nuts and seeds, cook with oleic-rich fruit oils, and get your omega-3s from fish.
Is high-oleic sunflower oil healthy?
High-oleic sunflower oil is a real improvement over regular sunflower oil, and I treat it, along with high-oleic safflower and canola oils, as an acceptable backup rather than a reason to displace the fruit oils at the top of the list.11 These oils are bred to be higher in stable monounsaturated fat and lower in fragile polyunsaturated fat, so they resist oxidation and heat better than the regular versions.11 USDA's records show how big the shift is: high-oleic sunflower oil has 82.6 grams of oleic acid per 100 grams against 19.5 grams in regular sunflower oil, and 3.8 grams of polyunsaturated fat against 65.7 grams.3536
If a packaged food has to use a seed oil, high-oleic is the better version to see on the label. Still, being better than regular sunflower oil is a low bar: these oils are usually refined and stripped of the antioxidants you'd get from a cold-pressed oil.11 They supplied the oleic acid in 11 of the 26 trials in the oleic analysis above,3 but when in doubt, choose the fruit oils: olive, avocado and coconut.11
Have a question about oleic acid or the oils you cook with?
Ask Dr. Axe AI. Answers are grounded in this library, with sources shown.
How much oleic acid do you need a day?
Quick answer
There's no official daily requirement for oleic acid, so the useful target is the swap: I recommend about 1½ to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil a day, used in place of other fats.633 My prescription for healthy cell membranes is 2 tablespoons a day, which supplies about 19 grams of oleic acid.131
When you have to use something other than olive oil, I suggest a little avocado oil or coconut oil.13 As I said in an episode on LDL, "Overall, extra virgin olive oil is the best oil to use for almost everything."37 Use it in place of butter, margarine and refined oils.
The FDA's qualified health claim for oleic-rich oils points the same way. It reads: "Supportive but not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that daily consumption of about 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) of oils containing high levels of oleic acid, when replaced for fats and oils higher in saturated fat, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease."6 The claim covers oils that are at least 70% oleic acid, and 20 grams of such an oil supplies about 15 grams of oleic acid.38 The FDA took that 15-gram figure from a trial in which 36 adults with high cholesterol each ate three diets for 28 days apiece; the diet made with high-oleic canola oil lowered LDL 7.4% compared with a typical Western diet.3839
How to get more oleic acid every day
The easiest way to get more oleic acid is to make extra virgin olive oil your everyday fat and let avocados and nuts fill in the rest.
Cook with extra virgin olive oil. Sauté, roast and pan-cook with it; it formed the fewest breakdown compounds of 10 oils in a lab heating test.25
Sear with avocado oil. For the hottest pan, avocado oil carries nearly as much oleic acid per tablespoon as olive oil.15
Dress your vegetables. When 11 adults ate the same vegetable salad on separate days, plain or with avocado or avocado oil added, about 1¾ tablespoons (24 grams) of avocado oil raised the carotenoids alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lutein reaching their blood as much as fresh avocado did.40
Add avocado. Half an avocado on toast, in a salad or blended into a smoothie adds about 9 grams of oleic acid.2
Swap your spread. Use olive oil or mashed avocado where you'd reach for butter or margarine on bread and vegetables, the kind of swap the cohort studies above tracked.23
Oleic acid side effects and safety
Quick answer
At food amounts, oleic acid is very safe: no upper limit has been set, for lack of data on adverse effects.6
Calories. A tablespoon of olive oil has about 119 calories, so oleic-rich oils work best in place of other fats rather than on top of them.1
Lp(a). In the randomized KANWU trial of 162 adults, Lp(a), a cholesterol-carrying particle, rose 12% on the monounsaturated diet over 3 months, while in the USDA feeding trial (60 adults, 53 finished), Lp(a) didn't differ between the high-oleic oil and the palm blend.2821 Because Lp(a) is set mostly by your genes, I recommend testing it at least once; it's one of the markers in the free 25 Root-Cause Bloodwork Markers protocol.41
On your skin. In two forearm studies of 19 adults, olive oil applied twice a day for 4 to 5 weeks weakened the skin's outer barrier and caused mild redness, while sunflower seed oil preserved it.42 That's why I don't recommend olive oil as a skin or baby moisturizer, as I explain on my olive oil page.33
Nut allergies. If you're allergic to tree nuts, get your oleic acid from olive oil, avocados and olives instead.
Beyond those, oleic acid is simply food.
The bottom line
Should you eat more oleic acid?
Yes, especially in place of saturated fat and refined carbohydrates. Oleic acid is a big part of why olive oil, avocados and nuts are so good for you: in randomized trials it lowered LDL cholesterol and apoB, steadied blood sugar and brought CRP down, and in large cohorts, olive oil users lived longer.34523
Make extra virgin olive oil your everyday fat, about 1½ to 4 tablespoons a day in place of other fats, reach for avocado oil when the pan gets hot, and add avocados and a few nuts. My philosophy has always been to use food as medicine first, and a fat you pour over dinner every night is one of the simplest places to start.43
Get the free Anti-Inflammatory Reset
Oleic-rich fats are one part of an anti-inflammatory kitchen, and this protocol lays out the rest: the four-phase, 30-day plan, the foods that cool inflammation and a 7-day meal plan. Have recent bloodwork? Analyze it free and see your LDL, apoB and CRP in functional ranges.
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Open the free protocol → →Oleic acid: frequently asked questions
What is oleic acid?
Is oleic acid an omega-9?
Is oleic acid saturated or unsaturated?
Unsaturated. It's a monounsaturated fat with one cis double bond, the formula C18H34O2 and a molecular weight of 282.5 grams per mole.7
What foods are highest in oleic acid?
Is oleic acid good for you?
Yes. When it takes the place of saturated fat or refined carbohydrates, it lowers LDL cholesterol and apoB, steadies blood sugar and brings CRP down, and in a randomized trial of 7,447 adults, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil, its richest everyday source, lowered a combined measure of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by about 30%.34522
Does oleic acid lower cholesterol?
Yes, when it replaces saturated fat or lower-oleic oils: across 26 randomized trials, diets built on oils at least 70% oleic acid lowered LDL by about 5 mg/dL, and in a USDA feeding trial in which 60 adults followed four diets in turn (53 finished at least one), a high-oleic oil left LDL about 10% lower than a palm oil blend.321
Is oleic acid anti-inflammatory?
How much oleic acid do you need a day?
There's no official requirement, since your body makes it.6 The FDA's qualified heart claim uses about 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) a day of an oil that's at least 70% oleic acid, and Dr. Axe recommends about 1½ to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil a day in place of other fats; 2 tablespoons supplies about 19 grams of oleic acid.6331
What's the difference between oleic acid and linoleic acid?
Oleic acid is an omega-9 monounsaturated fat with one double bond, and linoleic acid is an omega-6 polyunsaturated fat with two, which makes linoleic acid more prone to oxidizing under heat.711 Linoleic acid is the main fat in most refined seed oils, while oleic acid leads in olive and avocado oil.11
Is high-oleic sunflower oil healthy?
Is oleic acid the same as oleocanthal?
No. Oleic acid is the main fat in olive oil, while oleocanthal is a phenolic compound in fresh extra virgin olive oil that causes its peppery sting at the back of the throat and, in lab tests, blocks the same COX enzymes as ibuprofen.45 Extra virgin olive oil gives you both.
Does cooking destroy oleic acid?
Should you take an oleic acid supplement?
Is oleic acid good for your skin?
Does olive oil have more oleic acid than avocado oil?
Slightly, by USDA's general records: 71.3 grams per 100 grams for olive oil against 67.9 grams for avocado oil, while USDA's extra virgin olive oil record lists 67.8 grams, essentially the same.11546 Dr. Axe makes extra virgin olive oil his everyday fat and avocado oil his number two, for high-heat cooking.1120
Freshness & update log
October 6, 2026 — Matched Dr. Axe's quotes to his own words, with their sources.
October 5, 2026 — Rewrote the page in full. Added the Dr. Axe Score (8.2) with its math and an Interaction check; USDA values for olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, olives and five nuts, with a chart; the 2026 analysis of 26 trials and a USDA feeding trial for cholesterol, with a chart; the trials for blood sugar, CRP and blood pressure, with a chart of the insulin sensitivity result; the PREDIMED trial and the olive oil and plant-source cohort results; the FDA's qualified health claim; a comparison with linoleic acid; and Dr. Axe's guidance on high-oleic oils and daily amounts. Corrected the oleic acid content of olive oil (about 71% by USDA, not 80%) and rebuilt the food list from USDA records. Removed the claims on fat burning, brain function, ulcerative colitis, infections, skin repair and cancer, which rested on an olive oil diet study, single cohorts, animal and lab studies or reviews of cell pathways, and the blood pressure mechanism drawn from membrane research; replaced the skin advice with the forearm study of olive oil; and removed the unsourced warnings about laxative effects and fatty acid balance.
Originally published August 31, 2018. —
References
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Oil, olive, salad or cooking. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 171413 (NDB 4053). Published April 1, 2019.
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 171705 (NDB 9037). Published April 1, 2019.
- Han Y, Hu M, Wang Y, Li R, Liax Y, Liu Z, et al. Effects of high-oleic dietary interventions on cardiometabolic outcomes in adults: a GRADE-based systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2026;18(1):110. doi:10.1186/s13098-026-02136-w · PMID:41918140
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