‘I drank a shot of olive oil every day for 2 weeks – here’s what surprised me most’

Forget your morning coffee, according to TikTok there's a new way to start the day: a shot of olive oil after getting out of bed.

Dubbed ‘liquid gold’, celebrities from Kourtney Kardashian and Beyonce to Gwyneth Paltrow all extol the virtues of swigging a tablespoon of extra virgin first thing in the morning. While TikTokers claim it reduces cravings, boosts energy, improves digestion and even enhances skin and hair health.

But does it actually work, or is this just another wellness fad?

Olive oil has long been a staple of the Mediterranean diet, but recent studies suggest that not only does it make food taste better, but it can help your body function more efficiently, too.

Packed with monounsaturated fats made of oleic acid, phytosterols, carotenoids, tocopherols and polyphenols, olive oil has been linked to reduced inflammation and improved cholesterol levels. It’s made by grinding the flesh of the olive fruit, and then straining the liquid that comes out.

Drinking olive oil every day is unlikely to be harmful for most healthy adults in small amounts, but it isn’t a proven shortcut to better digestion, weight loss, energy or immunity. The main established benefit comes from using unsaturated fat in place of saturated fat as part of an overall healthy diet.

Olive oil can absolutely be part of a healthy diet – after all, it’s a consistent element of the Mediterranean diet – used in everything from bread to salads – which has been touted as one of the healthiest in the world for decades.

However, there is no actual evidence that suggests drinking olive oil neat – or taking it first thing in the morning – provides any additional health benefits compared with using it in cooking or adding it to a meal.

Before jumping on the trend, it’s also worth noting that olive oil is calorie-dense. Two tablespoons of olive oil – the standard amount taken by celebrities and social media influencers – contain approximately 238 calories and 28g fat, including around 3.8g of saturated fat. Over the course of a two-week trial, that’s a whopping 3,332 extra calories and 392g fat.

It begs the question: do the positive health benefits outweigh the extra calories?

‘For most people, it’s safe in moderation,’ says dietitian Emma Shafqat. ‘But those with difficulties digesting fats should be cautious as it may trigger discomfort or diarrhoea.’

She also highlights that not all olive oils are created equal: ‘The type of olive oil matters – extra virgin is the best choice as it’s the least processed and retains the highest levels of antioxidants’.

But you don’t need to drink it from a shot glass to benefit from it. Drizzle it over vegetables, use it in a salad dressing or swap it for butter when cooking – ideally as part of a varied diet.

1. It's packed with antioxidants

Olive oil is rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, oleacein and oleocanthal – two polyphenols which have been extensively studied and proven to have powerful anti-inflammatory effects.

But don’t expect a daily shot to magically boost your brain, protect you from cancer or clear up joint pain. Those claims go much further than the evidence allows, and there’s no proof that drinking olive oil is better than drizzling it over your food.

2. It may help relieve constipation

This is one area where there is some promising research. According to a 2025 randomised trial, people with diagnosed chronic constipation who consumed two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil daily for four weeks experienced improvements in their constipation symptoms.

3. It may support heart health

Higher olive oil consumption has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly among people following a Mediterranean-style diet. A 2022 meta-analysis found that olive oil consumption was associated with a lower risk of both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

4. It may help regulate blood sugar after a meal

In a small randomised crossover study, 30 people with impaired fasting glucose ate the same lunch either with or without 10g of extra virgin olive oil. When the oil was included, participants had a lower post-meal rise in blood glucose, as well as lower levels of some blood fats. The researchers suggested that this may be linked to changes in hormones involved in blood sugar regulation, including GLP-1.

5. It may make you feel fuller – but the evidence is limited

Olive oil fans often claim that it helps to curb cravings, but the research here is less convincing. In one 2022 study, 20 men were given the same breakfast on two occasions. The only difference was that one breakfast contained 25g of extra virgin olive oil, while the other contained the same amount of coconut oil. The researchers then asked them how hungry they felt and measured how much they ate at lunch three hours later.

The olive oil breakfast did not significantly reduce how much people ate at lunch. In fact, among the healthy-weight men, coconut oil appeared to reduce hunger slightly more than olive oil. The difference wasn’t seen in the men with obesity, and the study was too small to draw firm conclusions.

Overall, the research supports olive oil as a nutritious fat within a balanced diet, but it does not show that drinking it neat offers greater benefits than using it in meals.

The short answer? There’s no official recommendation to drink a daily shot of olive oil. So, if you were hoping for a magic number, there sadly isn’t one.

It's worth remembering that a tablespoon isn’t the same as a shot. A standard shot glass can hold considerably more than 15ml, so it’s easy to pour yourself more than you realise.

If you do want to try drinking olive oil, sticking to a tablespoon is a more sensible place to start than immediately swallowing two.

TikTok says drinking olive oil boosts energy and gut health, so writer Lynsey Hope put it to the test

Week 1 – The initial struggle

I decided to give it a go and followed TikTok's advice to take two tablespoons on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. Although scientific research is limited, the idea behind this is that it lines the stomach, aiding digestion.

I had my shot at 7am and for the first few days, the experiment didn’t go well. I have quite a sensitive gag reflex so was nervous about swigging it.

I chose a good quality extra virgin olive oil (La Espanola, costing £6.95 for 500ml at Waitrose) and there was a bit of a burn as it hit the back of the throat. According to TikTok this peppery sensation in the throat is a good thing as it suggests a good olive oil with the presence of healthy polyphenols.

Otherwise, it had a fresh, fruity taste reminiscent of the olives from which it is made. Dipping warm crusty bread into it is one thing though, drinking it neat first thing in the morning was another.

Whilst it didn’t taste anywhere near as bad as I’d expected, afterwards I felt nauseous and a little dizzy. I struggled to manage my usual gym routine and found I was craving dry foods, such as toast, to settle my stomach.

The symptoms were not severe so I persevered in the hope they might settle down after the initial few days. But a week in, I was still feeling a little sick.

Week 2 – The turning point

Not wanting to give up, I did a bit more research and wondered if it might be better to eat something beforehand.

The reason for having it on an empty stomach seems to be something to do with emulating the diets of Cretan fishermen in the 1960s who reportedly had a glass of olive oil for breakfast before a hard day of fishing. Their high intakes of olive oil were suggested as a cause for their remarkable longevity, despite the huge amounts of saturated fat they consumed as a result.

But as there is no real science to suggest this has any real beneficial effect, on day eight, I took my shot AFTER breakfast. I didn’t notice the usual rush of nausea so kept up the change and by around day 10, even though I was still drinking two tablespoons a day, I didn’t feel unwell at all. If anything, my gut health improved.

By the end of week two, I was feeling lighter, more energised and surprisingly full between meals.

1) Fewer cravings

I didn’t suffer any bloating or constipation, and I felt less hungry than usual. I was snacking far less late morning and early afternoon and could only attribute this to the olive oil.

2) My skin looked more hydrated

My skin and hair were noticeably improved too, and several people asked if I was wearing a different foundation than usual – I wasn’t, so it must have been the effects of the oil.

3) I didn’t gain weight

Despite the extra daily calories and fat (as mentioned, two tablespoons of olive oil contain 238 calories and 28g fat), I didn’t put on any weight.

4) Improved immune system

My family had suffered colds but I seemed to dodge it, so I wondered if the oil had had a beneficial effect on my immune system too.

Of course, there is no real need to drink it out of a shot glass if you don’t want to. As dietitian Shafqat explains, you should get the same benefits if it forms part of your meal. You can pour the oil over a salad or try a handful of olives instead, as this would offer many of the same health benefits but with some extra fibre as well.

For me, however, knocking back a shot is quicker and easier when I’m time-pressed in the morning with kids to get ready and work to get to.

While I don’t think everyone needs to drink olive oil daily – and even though it was hard going at first – I’ve been shocked by the wide-reaching benefits (and that’s just after two weeks), so, for now at least, it’s a daily habit I’m going to try to keep up.