July 27, 2026 | Source: VeryWell Health | by Julie Scott, MSN, ANP-BC, AOCNP
Research suggests that adding olive oil to meals can influence hormones involved in appetite, which may help increase feelings of fullness and reduce hunger between meals. However, the effects can vary and depend on the amount consumed and the rest of your diet.
How Olive Oil Affects Appetite Hormones
Your appetite is controlled by a complex system of hormones that signal when you’re hungry and when you have had enough. Some hormones stimulate hunger, while others promote fullness.
One hormone involved in hunger is ghrelin, sometimes called the “hunger hormone.” Ghrelin levels rise before meals and fall after eating. Other hormones, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), are released from the digestive tract after eating and help promote satiety, the feeling of fullness.1
