Mediterranean diet essential could help stave off dementia

Having just seven grams of olive oil — a bit over half a tablespoon — per day can help stave off dementia, according to a new study.

Regularly consuming the salad dressing staple is associated with a 28% lower risk of dementia-related death than those who didn’t eat the oil, reported CNN.

The study, which was published Monday in JAMA Network Open, observed over 92,000 adults for 28 years who were 56 years old on average when the study began. Researchers found that replacing just 5 grams — or around 1.2 teaspoons — of margarine or mayonnaise with olive oil daily lowered the risk of death from dementia by 8-14%.

“Our study reinforces dietary guidelines recommending vegetable oils such as olive oil and suggests that these recommendations not only support heart health but potentially brain health, as well,” Anne-Julie Tessier, a study coauthor and research associate at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a news release. “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.”

But not all experts were as optimistic about the findings. At least one was quick to point out that the study — while promising — only shows an association, not a causation.

“More research is needed,” Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian at Aston University in the United Kingdom, said according to CNN. Other experts noted that more than half of dementia cases are caused by vascular disease — which is any condition that affects your circulatory system, according to MedlinePlus.

Researchers believe that olive oil’s positive benefits could be linked to antioxidants which cross the blood-brain barrier and can have a positive effect on the brain directly, and to the oil’s high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids, which can help reduce cholesterol.

The oil has previously been shown to have benefits for your heart, can reduce inflammation, limit the risk of liver damage and maintain oxidative balance, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dementia refers generally to the loss of cognitive function, but the most common form people are familiar with is Alzheimer’s. There are about 5.8 million people in the US living with Alzheimer’s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, with that number expected to rise to 14 million by 2060.