Research shows that daily consumption of olive oil reduces the risk of developing dementia

A team of nutritionists and medical researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health has found evidence that daily consumption of olive oil can reduce the risk of developing dementia.

In their studypublished in the magazine JAMA network openedthe group analyzed data from thousands of people included in two separate health databases and found that the people who consumed at least 7 ounces of olive oil daily were less likely to die from dementia-related conditions.

Previous research has suggested that following the Mediterranean diet can lead to healthier results for most people. The diet tends to emphasize the consumption of legumes, vegetables, nuts, fish, dairy and olive oil. In this new study, the research team found evidence that the heavy use of olive oil in such diets may be one of the most important factors.

To learn more about the potential health benefits of regularly consuming olive oil, researchers studied patient data from more than 60,000 women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and more than 31,000 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Both databases contain historical information, following patients for up to 30 years. They also contain data on the cause of death.

The researchers found that 4,751 of the 92,383 patients in the two databases had died from dementia-related causes. Comparing nutritional information, they found that those who consumed at least half a teaspoon of olive oil per day over the study years were 28% less likely to die from diseases linked to the development of dementia.

The research team also noted that many of the people in the databases who had consumed olive oil daily for years had done so by using it to replace butter, mayonnaise and other vegetable oils in cooking and dressings. The same people therefore also ate less of these other products, which could also have had an impact on the dementia figures.

The team further suggests that consuming a Mediterranean diet, with a strong emphasis on olive oil, may reduce the risk of developing dementia by inhibiting inflammation caused by other factors.

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