Determining the correlation between olive oil consumption, BMI, and waist circumference in the adult Saudi population

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the correlation between dietary intake of olive oil, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 200 participants aged 20–30 years using pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demographic data was collected via a questionnaire, while dietary data was collected for two days using a 24-hour dietary recall. Anthropometric data such as BMI and WC were collected, and all the information was entered into the Diet Organizer software and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software for statistical analysis. The test results were assessed on the basis of a significance level of 95% (p < 0.05). RESULTS: We did not find a significant difference in BMI and WC between high and low olive oil consumers. Carbohydrate intake was significantly higher among low olive oil consumers. Although high olive oil consumers had a significantly higher caloric intake, they had a similar BMI compared to low olive oil consumers. CONCLUSION: This study provides baseline data on the intake of olive oil in a Saudi cohort aged 20–30 years. This study suggests that high olive oil intake may have a role in maintaining body weight.