Scientists have found evidence that extra-virgin olive oil can fight inflammation. Now they believe that it might help protect your brain against cognitive decline or even Alzheimer disease. Epidemiologists have noted that people who follow a Mediterranean diet are less prone to cognitive decline. In one study, people eating Mediterranean-style developed less brain atrophy.
Recently, Greek scientists compared the effects of a regular Mediterranean diet to a diet supplemented with two different types of olive oil (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Nov. 10, 2020). One randomly assigned group of elders ate meals supplemented with an early harvest extra-virgin olive oil rich in phenolic compounds. Another got olive oil with moderate rather than high levels of phenolic compounds. Finally, the third group had no olive oil supplementation.
All of the volunteers started the study with mild cognitive impairment and completed cognitive tests before and after the year-long study. The results of these tests showed that the participants consuming high-phenol early harvest olive oil performed better than the other groups on almost all measures. The group that did not get supplemental olive oil had declines or no improvement on test scores. On the other hand, the group using moderate-phenol olive oil did significantly better. The significant improvement in cognitive function among volunteers getting olive oil did not change if they carried the gene APOE e4, which affects people’s risk of Alzheimer disease.
Mice Eating Olive Oil Get Fewer Plaques and Tangles:
The Greek study is not the first to suggest phenolic compounds in olive oil could protect your brain. Previously, research in mice demonstrated that extra-virgin olive oil prevented the development of beta-amyloid plaques (Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, online June 21, 2017). They also had fewer tau tangles. Brains of Alzheimer patients typically contain both plaques and tangles.
The scientists gave half the mice chow laced with olive oil for six months, starting when the mice were six months old. Those on the olive oil-rich diet had less inflammation in their brains.
Mice in this study were genetically engineered to be especially susceptible to dementia similar to Alzheimer disease. However, tests of working and spatial memory demonstrated that olive oil could overcome their genetics. The mice that consumed extra-virgin olive oil performed better in mazes at nine months and a year. Matched control mice who got plain chow did significantly worse on these tests.
Should You Include Extra-Virgin Olive Oil in Your Diet?
According to the latest evidence, a Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil can protect your brain. In addition, such a diet may well protect your heart. Not everyone enjoys the peppery flavor of the polyphenols in extra-virgin olive oil, but those who do will probably benefit.
Learn More:
If you would like to know more about how to follow a Mediterranean-type diet, you might want to read our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. It has a simple outline of the basics of the diet.
If you are more interested in how to select a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, check out our Show 1079: What Is the Science Behind Fabulous Foods for Your Health? In it, we interview Dr. Tod Cooperman of ConsumerLab.com about which olive oil products performed well in recent tests.
