Although health professionals and scientists have continued to praise the merits of the vegan diet for several years, it has still not succeeded in replacing the Mediterranean diet in mattermatter of health benefits. Renowned for the variety of foods that compose it, rich in seasonseason and poor in refined products and red meat, this diet which is also called “Cretan diet” would be beneficial for the balance of intestinal transit, for cardiovascular health, or even for the maintenance of mental health, as the explains the Manger Bouger portal, the national public health program.
But Harvard researchers are now going even further. In a study initially presented in July 2023 during the annual congress of theAmerican Society for Nutritionbut whose conclusions were made public this Monday, May 6 in the newspaper JAMA Network Open, they suggest that regular consumption of olive oil may be associated with a lower risk of death from dementia. A finding established after analysis of a wealth of data, including food questionnaires, including 92,383 adults over 28 years. Note that during this period, more than 4,700 participants died from dementia.
Olive oil, an asset for mental health
In detail, the results reveal that consuming more than half a tablespoon of olive oil per day is associated with a 28% reduction in the risk of death from dementia. Researchers also note that replacing one teaspoon of margarine and mayonnaise with an equivalent amount of olive oil per day is associated with an 8 to 14 percent reduction in the risk of death from dementia, independent of diet. food adopted. Despite this observation, scientists point out that people who regularly consumed olive oil instead of processed or animal fats had a healthier diet overall.
“ Our study reinforces dietary guidelines recommending vegetable oils such as olive oil and suggests that these recommendations promote not only heart health but also 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 », underlined Anne-Julie Tessier, researcher at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Healthin a press release published last July.
This is only an observational study, so there is no evidence that olive oil is directly linked to a reduced risk of fatal dementia. A detail which is important, and which today pushes researchers to want to launch randomized controlled trials to confirm these results, and determine the optimal quantity of olive oil to consume to benefit from all of these benefits. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 55 million people suffer from dementia worldwide, with around 10 million new cases each year. Responsible for 60 to 70% of cases, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
A Little Olive Oil Every Day Could Reduce Dementia Deaths
Article from Claire ManièreClaire Manièrepublished on July 28, 2023
Recent studies have shown the benefit of the nutritional approach in slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. In particular, olive oil could play a beneficial role in cardiovascular health, mortality and cognitioncognition. What about the link with the risk of mortality from dementia?
American researchers examined the association between olive oil consumption and subsequent risk of death from dementia in adults (average age 56 at the start of the study). To do this, they used questionnaires on the frequency of food consumption and death records of more than 90,000 Americans not affected by a cancercancer or a heart diseaseheart disease at the beginning. During 28 years of follow-up, approximately 5% of study participants died from dementia.
The conclusions presented at the annual meeting of theAmerican Society for Nutrition suggest that half a tablespoon daily would be enough to reduce the risk of death from dementia by 25%, compared to people who never or rarely consume olive oil. Additionally, replacing one teaspoon per day of margarine or mayonnaise with an equivalent amount of olive oil was associated with a 5% to 12% reduction in the risk of death from dementia.
Specific effects of olive oil
It is known that consuming olive oil instead of processed or animal fats is better for your health. Still, the researchers note that the relationship between olive oil and dementia mortality risk was independent of overall diet quality in this study. Olive oil may have particular beneficial properties for the brainbrain.
The observational study does not prove that olive oil reduces the risk of death from dementia. But it is still recommended to consume it instead of margarine or mayonnaise as part of a healthy diet.
Olive oil, the new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease?
Article from Janlou ChaputJanlou Chaputpublished on March 22, 2013
Oleocanthal, a compound found in olive oil, could protect against Alzheimer’s disease by hunting neuronsneurons THE proteinsproteins beta-amyloidsbeta-amyloids, which are thought to be involved in dementia. Should we start now Mediterranean dietMediterranean diet ?
We knew the virtues of resveratrol, used in the composition of red wine. Now, we will surely have to do with oleocanthal, found in olive oil. A study carried out by American researchers from the University of Louisiana at Monroe has just revealed the protective effects of moleculemolecule on neurons: it would facilitate the expulsion of beta-amyloid proteins, which are accused of being responsible for Alzheimer’s disease.
The observation is in fact not entirely new. Originally, scientists noticed that prevalenceprevalence of this dementia was lower in the countries around the Mediterranean, lovers of olive oil. A link between food and disease was quickly established. The first suggestions considered that the high contents of monounsaturated fatty acidsmonounsaturated fatty acids could be the cause.
But more recent work has begun to show that the key may lie in oleocanthal. However, these intuitions had not been verified. What has now been done in the review ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
Oleocanthal, beta-amyloid eliminator
The experiment was carried out on a strain of mice serving as models of Alzheimer’s disease. The observations were carried out at two levels: in vitroin vitro with neurons from these rodentsrodentsAnd in vivoin vivo by observing directly into the brain.
In both cases, a treatment based on oleocanthal extracted from extra virgin olive oil allowed the overexpression of two proteins, glycoproteinglycoprotein P and LRP-1 (LDL lipoprotein receptor related protein-1). Both are transporters of beta-amyloids from the neuron to the blood circulation, beyond the blood-brain barrierblood-brain barrier.
Indeed, using beta-amyloids labeled withiodineiodine radioactive, the researchers observed that the protein characteristic of neurodegeneration was further eliminated from nerve cells after administration of oleocanthal.
Olive oil, the solution against Alzheimer’s disease?
The authors therefore underline the interest of a Mediterranean diet in preventionprevention of Alzheimer’s disease, since a diet based on olive oil would reduce the risk of developing dementia.
However, this is currently only a guess. The scientists did not measure the effect of this elimination on the behavior of the mice. Do they develop symptomssymptoms of the disease later than those who did not receive oleocanthal? Do they have better memories? Do they learn faster?
New studies are therefore necessary to conclude whether the reduction in neuronal concentration of beta-amyloid is sufficient to slow down or even eradicate the main cause of dementia in the world.
