In this article, Dr. Adriana Davis, Family Medicine, shares her expert insights of the findings and provides Virginia residents with evidence-based recommendations for protecting their health.
Why This Matters to You
New research is showing that consuming olive oil regularly over many years is linked to a lower chance of dying from dementia.
What This Means for Your Health
"So, yeah, the idea here is that olive oil consumption is reducing dementia death rates by improving our vascular health." Dr. Adriana Davis, Family Medicine
Doctor's Expert Insights for Lexington County Residents: Olive Oil and Brain Health.
Know this: "This study shows that making olive oil a regular part of your diet may help protect your brain health as you age. People who consumed about a tablespoon of olive oil daily had a 28% lower risk of dying from dementia compared to those who rarely or never consumed olive oil. What's exciting is that this benefit was seen regardless of overall diet quality, suggesting that olive oil may have unique properties that support brain function and longevity.
However, it's important to note that this single study, while promising, has limitations and more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between olive oil and dementia risk.
In the meantime, there are other scientifically proven ways to help lower your risk of dementia. One key strategy is keeping your mind active and engaged. This can be as simple as maintaining regular social connections with friends and family, learning new skills, and challenging your brain with mentally stimulating activities. Combining a healthy diet that includes olive oil with lifestyle habits that keep your brain active may offer a powerful approach to promoting long-term cognitive health." Dr. Adriana Davis, Family Medicine.
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Actionable Steps: What You Can Do Next
Next Steps: If you're concerned about the risks of strokes, brain health, and dementia, talk to your healthcare provider about getting a 'Cognitive Assessment'. It's better to be proactive about your health, so don't hesitate to start this conversation with your healthcare provider.(Learn More Here)
Further Steps: If you're a senior citizen in Lexington County, the Annual Wellness Visit is a perfect time for you to get your cognitive assessment. The Graphical Mini-Cog is a good 3-minute test to check for cognitive impairment.
Health News Today: A new study is showing higher olive oil consumption is linked to a reduced risk of dementia-related death. And, this result is independent of overall diet quality, according to a recent study.
The Science Made Simple: Key Findings and What They Mean for Lexington County Residents
Olive Oil and Dementia Mortality
Consuming more than 7 grams of olive oil per day was linked to a 28% lower risk of dying from dementia. This association was particularly strong in women.
Independent of Diet Quality
The link between higher olive oil intake and lower dementia mortality risk remained significant even after accounting for overall diet quality, such as adherence to the Mediterranean diet or the Alternative Healthy Eating Index.
Impact on your health: While a healthy overall diet is important, olive oil may have specific protective effects against dementia mortality that go beyond other aspects of diet quality.
Substituting for Other Fats
Replacing 5 grams per day of margarine or mayonnaise with an equivalent amount of olive oil was associated with 8-14% lower risk of dementia-related death. However, substituting olive oil for butter or other vegetable oils did not show a significant association.
Impact on your health: Swapping out certain fats, especially those high in trans fats like margarine, for olive oil may be a practical way to reduce dementia mortality risk through diet.
Potential Sex Differences
While higher olive oil intake was associated with lower dementia mortality risk in both sexes, the association remained significant after full adjustment only in women. This suggests potential sex differences in the protective effects of olive oil.
Impact on your health: The benefits of olive oil for reducing dementia mortality risk may be particularly relevant for women. More research is needed to understand potential sex differences in how olive oil affects brain health.
Long-Term, High-Quality Data
The study leveraged two large cohort studies with detailed diet and health data collected over 28 years, including over 90,000 participants and 4,751 cases of dementia-related death. The researchers also accounted for key genetic risk factors for dementia.
Impact on your health: The robust, long-term nature of this study provides high-quality evidence to inform our understanding of how olive oil intake relates to dementia mortality risk over time in a large population.
Conclusion:
This comprehensive study suggests that higher olive oil intake is associated with a lower risk of dying from dementia, particularly in women, independent of overall diet quality. Replacing certain fats like margarine with olive oil may help reduce dementia mortality risk.
Medical News Today: What This Means for Your Health in Lexington County, Virginia
The Bottom Line: Incorporating olive oil into your diet may help reduce your risk of dying from dementia, regardless of your overall diet quality.
"Olive oil intake was assessed every 4 years using a food frequency questionnaire and categorized as (1) never or less than once per month, (2) greater than 0 to less than or equal to 4.5 g/d, (3) greater than 4.5 g/d to less than or equal to 7 g/d, and (4) greater than 7 g/d. Diet quality was based on the Alternative Healthy Eating Index and Mediterranean Diet score." Anne-Julie Tessier, PhD. (Study Source)
What They're Saying: "Several clinical trials support the effect of olive oil in reducing CVD via improved endothelial function, coagulation, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, platelet aggregation and decreased inflammation. 25 Nonetheless, the results of our study remained independent of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease, and related dementias were associated with abnormal blood brain barrier permeability, possibly allowing the crossing of neurotoxic molecules into the brain. 26 Mechanistical evidence from animal 27-29 and human studies 9,30 have shown that phenolic compounds in olive oil, particularly extra-virgin olive oil, may attenuate inflammation, oxidative stress and restore blood brain barrier function... (h)owever, incident CVD, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes were not significant mediators of the association between olive oil intake and dementia-related death in our study." (Study Source)
Read More Early-Onset diabetes linked to higher dementia risk. Doctor Explains
Health Standard Newswire: Study finds higher olive oil intake linked to lower dementia mortality risk.
Health Facts That Matter: Key Statistics for Lexington County, Virginia
The following health facts impact your physical health directly!
Did you know there were 2582 deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Virginia in 2021?
2.8% of you in Lexington County chronic kidney disease.
33.9% of you in Lexington County have high blood pressure.
32.8% of you in Lexington County are obese.
All of these variables above play an important role in the outcomes of your overall health.
The Health Standard Newswire.
