Olive oil consumption could reduce the risk of dying from dementia by 28%, new study suggests

Olive oil has long been considered a ‘super food’ that can help you live a longer and healthier life when consumed as part of a balanced diet. Now a new study involving researchers at Harvard University suggests the natural product could reduce the risk of fatal dementia by 28%.

The study comes at a critical time when several countries across the globe are struggling to contain increasing rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, amid record low birth rates exacerbating problems usually accompanied by ageing population.

According to the researchers, consuming olive oil instead of commercial mayonnaise and fats like margarine could reduce the risk of dying from dementia. The health condition involves changes to memory and other mental abilities, strong enough to interfere with daily life.

Study Reinforces Dietary Guidelines Recommending Vegetable Oils

The changes surface due to physical changes in the brain. The new study provided promising results on olive oil consumption, revealing people who had more than half a tablespoon of the oil each day had a 28% lower risk of fatal dementia compared with those who rarely had it.

Even replacing just one teaspoon of mayonnaise or margarine with olive oil each day carried a lower risk of dying from dementia of between 8 – 14%. The study highlights the importance of dietary guidelines recommending vegetable oils such as olive oil.

These dietary recommendations not only support heart health but potentially brain health as well, said Anne-Julie Tessier from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. But further studies will be needed to confirm if olive oil has a direct or indirect effect on brain health.