Can a Diet of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Prevent Cognitive Decline?

It seems the answer may be “Yes!”

A new study reported in Medical News Bulletin found that study participants who added extra virgin olive oil to their Mediterranean diet showed significant improvement in cognitive functioning.

As we know, cognitive dysfunction is related to Alzheimer’s disease. Anything we can do to prevent or slow down the development of this debilitating disease the better.

The Study Lasted a Year

The research study was conducted over a period of one year and the results were just published in the Journal of Translational Medicine. The participants were elderly and in good health. They did not display any issues related to cardiovascular disease or other problems. A total of 180 men and women were recruited for the study.

Study participants were randomly assigned to two groups:

• one group consumed a regular Mediterranean diet with vegetable oil and
• the second group consumed a Mediterranean diet, but the vegetable oil was replaced with extra virgin olive oil.

Participants also had to undergo a mental health examination and Alzheimer’s Disease assessment. Of the original recruits, 110 completed the study.

Consuming Extra Virgin Olive Oil Improved Cognitive Functioning

This is one of the few times that researchers actually examined the impact of extra virgin olive oil on cognitive function. After one year, all participants showed positive gains from the Mediterranean diet.

However, the group that was consuming extra virgin olive oil showed the greatest decrease in their neuropsychological score on the Alzheimer’s assessment test.

The study shows that adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet, even for a short term, is beneficial to cognitive functioning.

More studies are required, but this is an exciting development. It’s so easy to know you can keep your cognitive functioning healthy in such an easy way—just by adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet.