Adding extra virgin olive oil to your daily diet protects against mental aging associated with aging, leading to a type of dementia called frontotemporal dementia, a new study suggests.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Louis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, was published in the latest issue of the journal Aging Cell.
Enhancing brain function is key to avoiding the effects of aging on brain cells as they age, the researchers said.
To detect the effect of virgin olive oil on brain cells, the team monitored two groups of mice that had a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease when they grew older.
The results showed that the addition of virgin olive oil to the diet in young people, or at the age of 30 to 40 years in humans, has been instrumental in preventing memory decline and learning impairment.
Brain tissue
The researchers examined brain tissue in mice fed virgin olive oil, and found no signs of cognitive decline, "amyloid plaques," sticky proteins that accumulate in the communication pathways between neurons in the brain, thereby blocking thinking and memory, leading to frontotemporal dementia. This is what happened in mice that did not feed on olive oil.
When the mice were 60 years of age in humans, the olive oil group had 60 percent more harmful brain TA deposits in the brain and performed better in memory and learning tests than in the placebo group.
"If there is one thing all humans should think about doing now to keep their minds young, it is to add extra virgin olive oil to their daily diet," said team leader Domenico Pratic.
"Extra virgin olive oil has excellent food, is rich in antioxidants that protect cells and is known for its multiple health benefits, including prevention of diseases associated with aging," he said.
Alzheimer's disease is itself a form of dementia, and primarily affects the hippocampus, the brain's memory storage center.
While frontotemporal dementia affects areas of the brain near the forehead and ears, its symptoms usually appear between the ages of 40 and 65, and include changes in personality and behavior, language and writing difficulties, and ultimately deterioration of memory, as well as an inability to learn from past experiences.
The extra virgin olive oil is extracted from olives only in natural ways, and in suitable thermal conditions, so that the specifications of the oil does not change, and retains its original taste and distinctive aroma and natural vitamins.