[arcticfox]

I’m kind of bad at parsing these studies so maybe someone can help:

Did they control for people opting for virgin OO having other confounding lifestyle factors that would cause the effect?

I certainly lean towards virgin OO when I’m feeling that I want to be healthy.

[oldgradstudent]

Virgin olive oil is more expensive.

The most important confounding factor in observational research is socioeconomic status - rich people live longer than poor people.

This research attempted to control for it in a limited fashion, but that's not enough.

[girvo]

Though the price difference is quite a lot less pronounced in Spain, where the study was done.

[UncleOxidant]

It seems like most olive oil is labeled "extra virgin". But there are definitely issues of authenticity (see: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10955085-extra-virginity )

[vineyardmike]

> I certainly lean towards virgin OO when I’m feeling that I want to be healthy.

Fwiw the use case for non-virgin olive oil is different. You’d want to use non virgin in anything that involves heat as it won’t burn or break down as easily.

For anything that you’ll taste (eg dressings) you’d want an extra virgin oil that will have more of the plants’ taste. Could be worth splurging on nice oil for dressings/dipping oil but don’t waste it on anything that’ll be heated.

[CoastalCoder]

Some of this is contrary to what I've read and my personal experience:

Subjecting EVOO to an electric blender results in a distinctly bitter taste. For salad dressings that involve a blender, I stick with non-EV olive oils.

[vineyardmike]

> Subjecting EVOO to an electric blender results in a distinctly bitter taste.

I've never considered using a blender to make a dressing. I was thinking "drizzle oil over leaves with some vinegar" type of dressing. Something like that is where you'd be able to taste the flavors of the oil. But I'm one of those weird people who goes to oil tasting rooms to find the ones I like so maybe its not a universal advice.

[denton-scratch]

Nor me. I mix oil, cider vinegar, seasoning and a dash of mustard (emulsifier) in a small jar with a lid, and shake hard.

[denton-scratch]

I don't cook enough to justify multiple bottles of OO. For cooking, I generally use butter with a splash of OO: the OO seems to stop the butter scorching.

[nicoburns]

I feel like you always want virgin olive oil. Just don’t hear it too high. If you have uses that require high heat then use a completely different oil like coconut.