If you were to come up with a magic golden elixir for a youthful, beauteous glow, it would probably look like olive oil. Especially when served in a shot glass. But does it actually make you beautiful and not so aged?

Certain celebrities of a middle-aged persuasion – Kourtney Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez – have reportedly fessed up to drinking extra virgin olive oil every day or so, and massaging it into their skin as a beauty and health aid.

According to an article at The Conversation:

“Lopez even based her JLo Beauty brand around the kitchen staple, claiming that her age-defying looks were not the result of botox or surgery but the family beauty secret: moisturising with olive oil.”

However, she also credits drinking a lot of water and eating a diet rich in vegetables.

Among more senior stars, Goldie Hawn, 78, drinks olive oil before going to bed – and uses it as a face and body cream.

And legendary Sophia Loren, 89 – blessed with fabulous cheekbones – is said to bathe in olive oil. (One hopes there is someone to help her out of the bath: one violent slip could break a beautiful hip.)

Does olive oil have any credibility as an anti-ageing agent? Kind of, sort of, but not as dramatically as a fading star might hope for.

What olive oil is good for

Firstly, olive oil protects the heart – notably as a key ingredient Mediterranean diet. Studies have shown that people at high cardiovascular risk tend to have fewer heart attacks and strokes when prescribed olive oil.

A 2018 study, involving people at high cardiovascular risk, “the incidence of major cardiovascular events was lower among those assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts than among those assigned to a reduced-fat diet”.

Hopefully the boys have a firm grip on Jennifer Lopez, oil enthusiast. Photo: Getty

A new study in progress goes further than that.

The Mayo Clinic has enrolled participants for a phase II double-blind, randomized controlled trial, “to determine if six month supplementation of olive oil can improve the health of the blood vessels and improve long term health of the heart and blood vessels, in patients requiring percutaneous coronary intervention”.

A percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is used to treat the symptoms of coronary artery disease, which is narrowing of the coronary arteries (blood vessels that supply your heart muscle with oxygen). A PCI is a procedure to widen or unblock an artery using a small inflatable balloon.

How does it protect the heart?

About 14 per cent of olive oil is saturated fat. Saturated are found in animal products like beef, pork, milk, and cheese. Despite many studies, the evidence for saturated fats being healthy is mixed. Generally, the advice is top consume saturated fats in small doses.

About 11 per cent of oil from olives is polyunsaturated, such as omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, and normal growth and development. Omega-6s help stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism, and maintain the reproductive system.

Most (73 per cent) fatty acid in olive oil is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid – a powerful anti-inflammatory.

As we reported this week, chronic inflammation damages the heart, directly and indirectly. Chronic inflammation is linked with type 2 diabetes and obesity, both of which damage the heart.

Evidence is emerging that oleic acid have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer. See here.

What about as a beauty aid?

Wellness gurus love talking about ‘the cleanse’ and ‘detoxing’. Olive oil does indeed clean you out … when you’re constipated. It’s a terrific stool softener, if you want to get glamorous about it.

The spoonful of oil that Kourtney Kardashian drinks every second day probably keeps her regular.

So what about olive oil as a moisturiser? Here’s what a New York wellness blog has to say:

“Like many other oils, olive oil locks in moisture. By itself, it doesn’t do much in the way of moisturising your skin, but it works to seal in water or your moisturiser. The best way to incorporate it into your routine is to apply it on top of your moisturiser, so it will lock in the moisture from that.”

Which isn’t much of an endorsement.

For more about olive oil and the benefits of drinking it versus eating it with other foods, see here.