- Oil is a key ingredient of a Mediterranean diet, which has many health benefits
- Study found olive oil prompts the brain to remove harmful clutter in the brain
- Olive oil reduces the amount of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
- These structures increase a person's likelihood of getting Alzheimer's disease
By Daisy Dunne For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 13:30, 21 June 2017 | UPDATED: 21:57, 21 June 2017
Extra-virgin olive oil preserves memory and protects the brain against dementia, according to new research.
The oil is a key ingredient of the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a variety of health benefits, including a lower dementia risk.
Now scientists have discovered that olive oil reduces the risk of dementia by prompting the brain to clear out harmful debris.
Regularly eating olive oil can protect your memory and your ability to learn new things as you age, according to the new study.
The discovery has been hailed as an 'exciting' breakthrough in the battle against Alzheimer's disease.
Extra-virgin olive oil preserves memory and protects the brain from dementia, research shows
How does olive oil protect against dementia?
Cosuming olive oil reduces the formation of harmful structures in the brain, including amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
Previous research has shown the presence of these structures in the brain increases a person's likelihood of getting Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers also identified the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of extra-virgin olive oil.
Lead researcher Professor Domenico Pratico, from Temple University in Pennsylvania, said: 'We found that olive oil reduces brain inflammation but most importantly activates a process known as autophagy.'
Autophagy is the process by which cells break down and clear out unwanted debris left in the body.
Mice with induced Alzheimer's who were fed a diet of olive oil had higher levels of autophagy in the brain, according to researchers.
Professor Pratico said: 'Brain cells from mice fed diets enriched with extra-virgin olive oil had higher levels of autophagy and reduced levels of amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau.'
Oil is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a variety of health benefits
Phosphorylated tau is responsible for neurofibrillary tangles, which are suspected of contributing to the poor memory of Alzheimer's patients.
Previous research has suggested that the widespread use of extra-virgin olive oil in the Mediterranean diet is key to its health benefits.
Professor Pratico said: 'The thinking is that extra-virgin olive oil is better than fruits and vegetables alone, and as a monounsaturated vegetable fat it is healthier than saturated animal fats.'
How was the study conducted?
To investigate the relationship between extra-virgin olive oil and dementia, Professor Pratico and his colleagues tested mice with induced Alzheimer's.
Known as a 'triple transgenic model', the animals developed three key characteristics of the disease: memory impairment, amyloid plagues and neurofibrillary tangles.
The researchers divided the animals into two groups, one that received a chow diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil and one that received the regular chow diet without it.
The olive oil was introduced into the diet when the mice were six months old, before symptoms of Alzheimer's begin to emerge in the animal model.
At first, there was no difference between the two groups of animals.
But, at age nine months and 12 months, mice on the extra virgin olive oil-enriched diet performed 'significantly better' on tests designed to evaluate working memory, spatial memory, and learning abilities.
What did the study find?
Studies of brain tissue from both groups of mice revealed dramatic differences in nerve cell appearance and function.
Professor Pratico said: 'One thing that stood out immediately was synaptic integrity.'
He said the integrity of the connections between neurons, known as synapses, were preserved in animals on the extra-virgin olive oil diet.
And, compared to mice on a regular diet, brain cells from animals in the olive oil group showed a 'dramatic' increase in nerve cell autophagy activation.
This was ultimately responsible for the reduction in levels of amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau.
Professor Pratico said: 'This is an exciting finding for us.
'Thanks to the autophagy activation, memory and synaptic integrity were preserved, and the pathological effects in animals otherwise destined to develop Alzheimer's disease were significantly reduced.
'This is a very important discovery, since we suspect that a reduction in autophagy marks the beginning of Alzheimer's disease.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4625116/Extra-virgin-olive-oil-prevents-dementia-memory-loss.html
