A common cooking ingredient may be the key to a longer life and cognitive health, a new study suggests.
The study, published by JAMA Network Open and conducted by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, examined the association between olive oil intake and the risk of dementia-related deaths. The researchers reviewed data collected over a 28-year period from 92,383 participants with an average age of 56.
The study found that those who consume over seven grams of olive oil per day have a 28% lower risk of dementia-related death than those who rarely or never use olive oil, regardless of the quality of the rest of their diet. Replacing five grams of margarine and mayonnaise with an equal amount of olive oil lowers the risk of dementia mortality by 8%.
“These findings provide evidence to support dietary recommendations advocating for the use of olive oil and other vegetable oils as a potential strategy to maintain overall health and prevent dementia,” says the study.
The researchers also found that “olive oil consumption may lower dementia mortality by improving vascular health.” Other studies have shown that the phenol compounds in olive oil can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress and maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, thereby improving cognitive function.
Recent studies have also found that olive oil can reduce the risk of obesity, which has become a worldwide epidemic, as extensively reported on by The Dallas Express.
“Olive oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids,” Tanya Freirich, a registered dietician, told Fox News Digital. “A higher omega-3 intake is known to reduce dementia and cognitive decline. It’s great to see the association between consuming olive oil, a great source of omega 3s, and a reduced risk of dementia.”
An estimated 6.9 million Americans 65 years and older have Alzheimer’s dementia, with an estimated 200,000 under the age of 65 having younger-onset Alzheimer’s. Between 2000 and 2021, the number of deaths from Alzheimer’s disease more than doubled, increasing 141%. The disease was also the fifth leading cause of death among those 65 and older in 2021.