When mice with a genetic predisposition to clogged arteries ate a diet with olive oil and nuts instead of butter and animal fat, their artery plaques got smaller.

Scientific Claim

In male Ldlr–/– mice fed a high-cholesterol diet, replacing milkfat with extra-virgin olive oil and nuts (EVOND) for 3 months was associated with a 25.6% reduction in atherosclerotic lesion area in the whole aorta compared to a Western diet high in saturated fat, suggesting dietary fat composition influences plaque development in this genetic model.

Original Statement

“mice fed EVOND developed significantly less atherosclerosis in whole aorta and aortic sinus compared to mice fed WD (Figures 6A and 6B). A separate set of experiments showed that mice on EVOND vs. WD for 6 months had greater reductions in development of atherosclerosis (34.2% reduction, Supplemental Figures VIII A and VIII B) than those on diets for 3 months (25.6% reduction).”

From study:Replacing Saturated Fat With Unsaturated Fat in Western Diet Reduces Foamy Monocytes and Atherosclerosis in Male Ldlr-/- Mice.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The study is an animal cohort study without randomization or blinding; it demonstrates a consistent association between diet and lesion size but cannot prove causation in humans or even definitively in mice due to lack of controlled confounders beyond diet.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Replacing Saturated Fat With Unsaturated Fat in Western Diet Reduces Foamy Monocytes and Atherosclerosis in Male Ldlr-/- Mice.

Cohort Study

Animal

2020 Jan

This study found that feeding mice a diet with olive oil and nuts instead of butter and fatty meats made their artery plaques smaller, showing that what kind of fat you eat can change how bad heart disease gets.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Replacing Saturated Fat With Unsaturated Fat in Western Diet Reduces Foamy Monocytes and Atherosclerosis in Male Ldlr-/- Mice.

Score: 15

DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.119.313078

Similar Assertions

Mice that ate olive oil and nuts instead of butter had less cholesterol and fat in their blood, which might help keep their arteries from getting clogged.

84%

The plaques in mice eating olive oil and nuts had fewer inflammatory immune cells inside them than plaques in mice eating a fatty diet.

78%

Mice eating olive oil and nuts had more of the good fats (like olive oil and nuts) and less of the bad fats (like butter) in their blood than mice eating a typical fatty diet.

73%

Mice treated with the drug had much smaller dead-cell areas in their artery plaques—almost half as big—which might mean their plaques are less likely to break open.

72%

The drug didn’t make the fibrous cap around the plaque thicker, so its protective effect must come from other changes, like less cell death or inflammation.

72%