Cooking olive oil at a lower heat doesn’t change its inflammatory potential much, but cooking it really hot makes it more likely to promote inflammation in the body.
Scientific Claim
Heating extra virgin olive oil at 170 °C causes minimal changes in atherogenicity (IA) and thrombogenicity (IT) indices, while heating at 200 °C increases these indices by 2–4 times, indicating greater pro-inflammatory potential at higher temperatures.
Original Statement
“The heating process generally led to an increase in both indices. However, the lower heating temperature (170 °C) induced little change... The higher process temperature (200 °C) led to more rapid changes, ranging from 2 to 4 times higher compared to 170 °C.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The study used standardized formulas and GC-derived fatty acid data to calculate indices under controlled heating, enabling definitive statements about chemical changes.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The study found that heating olive oil at 200°C makes it much worse for your health than heating it at 170°C, which matches the claim that higher heat makes olive oil more likely to cause inflammation.