Regular olive oil consumption offers numerous health benefits and can also significantly reduce dementia mortality. According to a recent study, seven grams of olive oil per day reduces the risk of dementia-related death by 28 percent.
A research team led by Dr. Anne-Julie Tessier from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health used long-term data from over 90,000 adults to examine the effects of olive oil consumption on the risk of dementia-related deaths and published the results in the journal “JAMA Network Open”.
Health Benefits of Olive Oil
Olive oil is an important part of the Mediterranean diet and is considered a key factor in the wide-ranging health benefits associated with this diet.
According to a meta-analysis recently published in the journal “Food & Function”, regular olive oil consumption demonstrably reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
Does olive oil affect dementia mortality?
In a prospective cohort study with 92,383 adults who were observed over a period of 28 years, the researchers have now examined the extent to which positive effects on the risk of death from dementia can be hoped for.
The team determined olive oil intake every four years using a questionnaire and created the following categories of olive oil consumption:
- never or less than once a month,
- up to 4.5 grams per day,
- more than 4.5 grams up to a maximum of 7 grams per day,
- more than 7 grams per day.
During the 28-year follow-up period, the researchers recorded 4,751 dementia-related deaths, with people who carried two copies of the APOE4 gene having a five to nine times higher risk of dementia death.
It should be noted here that, according to another recent study, this particular genetic predisposition is associated with over 95 percent risk of Alzheimer's disease and forms a separate genetic form of Alzheimer's disease.
Significantly reduced risk of death from dementia
The team around Dr. Tessier recorded a 28 percent lower risk of dementia-related deaths among participants who consumed at least seven grams of olive oil per day than among people who never or rarely consumed olive oil. According to the researchers, this result was consistent even after further adjustment for APOE4.
In modeled substitution analyses, the experts were also able to prove that replacing five grams of margarine or mayonnaise per day with an equivalent amount of olive oil reduced the risk of dementia-related death by eight percent.
However, replacing them with other vegetable oils or butter had no significant effect on dementia-related deaths, the research team adds.
Olive oil as a prevention strategy?
Overall, the results suggest that consuming olive oil could represent a potential strategy for reducing the risk of death from dementia – regardless of other nutritional quality, the researchers conclude. (fp)
