If you’re roasting your veggies with avocado oil and baking your muffins with coconut oil, you might want to consider swapping or supplementing with extra virgin olive oil. New research has found that adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet can improve memory and FIGHT DEMENTIA.
Scientists have yet to find a clear and direct cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, but one potential explanation is the buildup of TAU – an abnormal protein – in the brain. A recent study on mice, published in the journal Aging Cell, found that diets rich in extra virgin olive oil can actually decrease the presence of TAU, slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
When TAU collects into “tangles”, known as TAUOPATHIES, they interrupt communication in the brain, leading to memory loss and decreased brain functioning.
In the study, 16 mice prone to developing tauopathies were fed diets rich in extra virgin olive oil for 6 months. At the end of the six months, they were tested on memory and learning abilities. The results were compared to 15 mice eating normal diets.
The animals whose diets were supplemented with extra virgin olive oil showed improvement in several subjects, including working memory, spatial and learning memory, and communication with the hippocampus, the memory-making part of the brain. All of these effects were linked to the decrease of TAUin the brain.
This information supports several other studies that advise the use of extra virgin olive oil for its disease-fighting properties. The antioxidant-rich fat is known to decrease inflammation, support cardiovascular health, and can even be used topically to prevent sun damage.
To add the anti-aging healthy oil to your life, consider the Mediterranean Diet, or simply use olive oil with vegetables, like garlic and tomatoes, that bring out its most potent qualities.
“Try it, you’ll like it”.
That’s it for now, see you all the next time.
