Study finds how a daily spoonful of olive oil may reduce risk of fatal dementia

A recent study has unveiled the potential protective benefits of incorporating a daily spoonful of olive oil into one’s diet, shedding light on its remarkable capacity to potentially lower the risk of dementia-related mortality.

This finding not only highlights the significance of dietary choices in safeguarding cognitive health but also underscores the power of simple, natural interventions in combatting the devastating impact of dementia.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open. More than 92,000 adults were observed over a 28 year period consuming at least 7 grams of olive oil per day.

Initially, participants were 56 years of age on average – 60,600 were women who participated in the Nurses Health Study from 1990 to 2018 while nearly 32,000 men who’d been in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study at the same time were also included.

Both studies investigated risk factors for chronic diseases in both men and women.

Researchers from the latest study reviewed participants’ diets over a four-year period through a survey and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index.

The participants had to replace 5 grams of margarine or mayonnaise with a daily dose of olive oil.

The results of the study found that this replacement was linked with a eight per cent to 14 per cent lower risk of death by dementia.

In a statement study coauthor Anne-Julie Tessier, a research associate in nutrition at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said, “Our study reinforces dietary guidelines recommending vegetable oils such as olive oil and suggests that these recommendations not only support heart health but potentially brain health.”

“Opting for olive oil, a natural product, instead of fats such as margarine and commercial mayonnaise, is a safe choice and may reduce the risk of fatal dementia,” Tessier added.

While increasing your intake of olive oil may lower the risk of dementia-related mortality, regularly eating certain foods could potentially increase the risk of developing the debilitating neurological condition.

Latest research has indicated that a diet high in ultra processed food (UPF) is linked to an increased risk of developing dementia.

In the Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline study researchers analysed 10, 775 individuals and found that higher consumption of ultra processed foods was linked to a higher rate of global and executive function decline after an 8 year follow up with participants.

Participants in the study who consumed higher amounts of ultra-processed food showed a 28 per cent faster rate of global cognitive decline and a 25 per cent faster rate of executive function decline compared to those who consumed less processed foods.

The researchers concluded that a higher percentage of consumption of ultra processed foods was associated with cognitive decline which support public health recommendations on reducing ultra processed food consumption due to their potential detrimental impact to cognitive function.

The authors of the study offered some explanation as to why such food items can contribute to cognitive decline.

“Neuroimaging studies have found that high consumption of a Western dietary pattern was related to a reduction in the left hippocampus and gray matter volume in cognitively healthy individuals,” the author said.

“Another possible biological mechanism for the decline in executive function and global cognition seen in our study may be related to systemic inflammation caused by the consumption of UPF, because increased levels of circulating proinflammatory cytokines have been associated with cognitive decline.

“On the other hand, healthy dietary patterns were associated with higher grey and white matter volume, total brain volume, and Aβ42/40 ratio, as well as lower oxidative stress and inflammation, which could explain our findings that the percentage of daily energy from UPF was associated with cognitive decline in participants with a low healthy diet score, but not in those with a high healthy diet score.”

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.