What is hydroxytyrosol, and how much olive oil equals 15 mg?

Ingredient spotlight · Hydroxytyrosol in Health Royals’ Peak Performance, multivitamin for women with omega 3 · 7 min read

Hydroxytyrosol is the main polyphenol in olives and the compound behind the EU wording that olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. That wording is built on 5 mg per 20 g of olive oil, so 15 mg is roughly what 60 g of an olive oil at that level would give, or four tablespoons. Peak Performance Formula contains 15 mg a day from Hytolive® olive fruit extract, the same daily amount as in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled human study.

The olive has been part of Mediterranean food culture for thousands of years, and olive oil sits at the centre of a dietary pattern that nutrition research has followed for decades. Science has since looked more closely at what the fruit contains, and one compound has drawn particular attention in relation to oxidative stress and the oxidation of blood lipids: hydroxytyrosol.

Here we cover what hydroxytyrosol is, what may be said about it in the EU, what a human study measured at 15 mg a day, and why Peak Performance, our daily multivitamin for women with omega 3 from algae, contains exactly that amount.

Hydroxytyrosol at Health Royals

Peak Performance contains 150 mg of Hytolive® olive fruit extract per daily dose, standardised to 15 mg of hydroxytyrosol, together with 450 mg of extra virgin olive oil. Hydroxytyrosol was studied at 15 mg a day in the 16 week human study, and the product contains 15 mg. The EU wording on olive oil polyphenols is written for olive oil under defined conditions, so for the extract we describe what the research measured.

See Peak Performance, multivitamin for women with omega 3

What is hydroxytyrosol?

Hydroxytyrosol is a naturally occurring phenolic compound found in olives and olive oil. It belongs to the polyphenols, a large and varied group of plant compounds.

In the olive, hydroxytyrosol occurs together with related compounds, including tyrosol and derivatives of oleuropein. The amount varies with the olive variety, ripeness, growing conditions and how the fruit is processed. Two products that are both called olive extract can therefore contain very different amounts of hydroxytyrosol.

The name of an extract tells you where it comes from. Standardisation tells you what the daily dose contains.

What may be said about olive polyphenols and blood lipids?

The EU has authorised one wording for this area: olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.

The wording is formulated for olive oil. It applies to olive oil containing at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of oil, with the beneficial effect obtained at a daily intake of 20 g of that oil. It is not automatically transferred to every olive extract or supplement containing hydroxytyrosol, and we do not use it that way. For Hytolive®, what we can describe is what the research on hydroxytyrosol measured.

LDL particles carry cholesterol in the blood, and when they are oxidised their properties change, which is why oxidised LDL is used as a marker in research on oxidative stress. That is where a study on hydroxytyrosol itself, at a stated daily amount, becomes useful.

What did the 16 week study measure?

The study, by Moratilla-Rivera and colleagues, was published in Clinical Nutrition in 2025. It was randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled, and included adults aged 40 to 70 with overweight and prediabetes. Participants took either 15 mg of hydroxytyrosol a day or placebo for 16 weeks.

The primary outcome was oxidised LDL, often shortened to oxLDL, alongside markers of oxidative stress, antioxidant status, inflammation and metabolic health. Compared with placebo, hydroxytyrosol was associated with a reduction in oxidised LDL and in several other markers of oxidative stress. The researchers also reported an improvement in total antioxidant capacity and a reduction in the inflammatory marker IL-6.

The study was equally clear about what did not change: the conventional blood lipid profile, body measurements, sleep, mental wellbeing and physical capacity showed no significant differences. It is one study in one group of adults. What we do know is that a defined daily amount of hydroxytyrosol, 15 mg, has been tested against placebo in people, with oxidised LDL as the primary outcome.

Why does the amount of hydroxytyrosol matter more than the amount of extract?

Because the weight of a plant extract says little about the compound you are actually interested in. 150 mg of olive extract is not 150 mg of hydroxytyrosol. In Peak Performance the relationship is defined: 150 mg of Hytolive® provides 15 mg of hydroxytyrosol per daily dose.

Hydroxytyrosol was studied at 15 mg per day. Peak Performance contains 15 mg per daily dose. That is a decision, not a coincidence. A studied amount does not mean every person will have the same result, but it gives a more meaningful basis for a product than an olive extract with no stated hydroxytyrosol content.

What is Hytolive®, and who makes it?

Hytolive® is a standardised polyphenol extract from Spanish olive fruit, made by Alvinesa in Spain. The standardisation lets the hydroxytyrosol content be stated and kept consistent from dose to dose. The origin is still the olive; the difference is precision.

For us, the ingredient cannot be separated from its source, manufacturer and studied dose. That is why we chose a named, standardised raw material. Health Royals works with specialist manufacturers, researchers and supplier networks when raw materials are chosen, as we explain in branded and non-branded ingredients.

How does Hytolive® fit into Peak Performance?

Hytolive® sits alongside 450 mg of extra virgin olive oil in the softgel. Around it, Peak Performance brings together nutrients where Swedish intakes more often fall short, as set out in what Riksmaten shows, and the omega 3 that multivitamins usually leave out:

• OMEGATEX® algal oil, 500 mg, providing 375 mg of omega 3, of which 300 mg DHA and 50 mg EPA.
• Vitamin D3, 25 µg, as Quali-D®, and vitamin K2, 90 µg, as MenaQ7®.
• Folate, 200 µg, as Quatrefolic® 5-MTHF, and vitamin B12, 10 µg, as MecobalActive® methylcobalamin, with thiamin 1.1 mg and niacin 16 mg.
• Zinc, 5 mg, as L-OptiZinc®, selenium, 27.5 µg, as L-selenomethionine, and chromium, 20 µg, as chromium picolinate.
• Extramel® melon extract, 10 mg, the dose used in its placebo-controlled human studies.

Hytolive® and Extramel® are at their studied doses. The vitamins and minerals are at nutritional levels. Peak Performance does not contain calcium, magnesium, iron or protein. Each ingredient has its own role, form and daily amount. Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

That is what we mean by fewer jars, more thought. The jar is amber glass with a scented core, made to stay out on the shelf, with refill pouches by subscription. For the wider picture of olive oil and the Mediterranean pattern, see our article on the anti-inflammatory diet.

We have done the selection so that you do not have to. Peak Performance gives you 15 mg of hydroxytyrosol from Hytolive® every day, the amount the study used, together with omega 3 from algae, vitamin D3 and the rest of the daily dose, at amounts we publish and can explain. You can stop looking.

See Peak Performance, multivitamin for women with omega 3

Go deeper

• Guide: wellbeing from within
• Is omega 3 from algae as good as fish oil?
• SOD, oxidative stress and recovery
• Anti-inflammatory diet: what the research shows
• Vitamin D3 and Quali-D®
• Vitamin K2: why it is taken with D3
• Healthy ageing: what happens in the body's cells
• Peak Performance, multivitamin for women with omega 3

Frequently asked questions

How much olive oil equals 15 mg of hydroxytyrosol?
The EU wording on olive oil polyphenols is built on 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of olive oil. At that level, 15 mg is roughly what 60 g of olive oil would give, or four tablespoons.

Why is 150 mg of olive extract not the same as 150 mg of hydroxytyrosol?
The weight of an extract does not say how much of the defining compound it contains; standardisation does. In Peak Performance, 150 mg of Hytolive® provides 15 mg.

What did the 16 week study measure?
Adults aged 40 to 70 with overweight and prediabetes took 15 mg of hydroxytyrosol a day or placebo for 16 weeks. The primary outcome was oxidised LDL. The researchers reported reductions in oxidised LDL and several oxidative stress markers, higher total antioxidant capacity and lower IL-6.

What is Hytolive® and who makes it?
A standardised olive fruit extract made by Alvinesa in Spain, with a defined hydroxytyrosol content.

Does the EU wording on olive polyphenols apply to Peak Performance?
The wording is formulated for olive oil that meets defined conditions, and we do not transfer it to the extract. What we describe about oxidised LDL and IL-6 is what the researchers measured in the study, not a claim about the product.

References

European Food Safety Authority. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to polyphenols in olive and protection of LDL particles from oxidative damage. EFSA Journal. 2011;9(4):2033. DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2033.

Moratilla-Rivera, I.; Pérez-Jiménez, J.; Ramos, S.; Portillo, M.P.; Martín, M.Á.; Mateos, R. Hydroxytyrosol supplementation improves antioxidant and anti-inflammatory status in individuals with overweight and prediabetes: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial. Clinical Nutrition. 2025;52:17 to 26. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2025.07.006.

Hytolive®. Olive Fruit Polyphenol: cardiovascular health and formulation information. Ingredient technical information.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It summarises ingredient characteristics, published research and manufacturer-provided information. Individual needs and experiences may vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional with questions about supplementation, medication or personal health.