The good stuff in olive oil that’s supposed to help you gets ruined when you heat it up.

When you heat olive oil really hot (200°C), it loses all its protective antioxidants and turns into more gunk than when heated at a lower temperature (170°C).

The amount of heat energy needed to break down the healthy compounds in olive oil doesn’t change much, no matter how hot you heat it (within the range tested).

Oils with polyunsaturated fatty acid content exceeding 10% are susceptible to thermal oxidation during cooking, generating cytotoxic aldehydes and lipid peroxides.

Scientists can estimate how long it takes for half of the healthy compounds in olive oil to break down when it’s heated at different temperatures.

Extra virgin olive oil produces higher levels of polar compounds and oxidative byproducts than saturated animal fats and coconut oil when subjected to prolonged heating.