Olive Oil & Cognitive Decline: Olive Oil May Reduce Dementia-Related Deaths By 28 Percent by Jacob Teitelbaum

Don't skip the olive oil aisle at the grocery store! A study published on May 6, 2024, in JAMA Networks Open has shown a correlation between consuming a spoonful of olive oil (7g/d or more) each day and a 28 percent reduced risk of dementia-related deaths. The 92,383 participants in the study had a mean age of 56.4 years old. During the 28-year follow-up, 4,751 dementia-related deaths occurred.

The conclusion: “In U.S. adults, higher olive oil intake was associated with a lower risk of dementia-related mortality, irrespective of diet quality. Beyond heart health, the findings extend the current dietary recommendations of choosing olive oil and other vegetable oils for cognitive-related health.”

We’ve seen a decline in heart disease and stroke over the past 20 years, but mortality from dementia-related diseases has been increasing. The Mediterranean Diet has long been lauded for protecting against cardiovascular disease, and now its key ingredient, olive oil, has been found to be a viable agent for preventing death linked to dementia. 

This is yet another study showing the dramatic effect that simple nutritional changes have on dementia risk. An earlier Harvard COSMOS study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in March showed that even a low-dose multivitamin taken for a year decreased brain age by two to three years.

Good nutrition is often your best medicines. In addition to olive oil, I recommend the following evidence-based methods for slowing cognitive decline:

• Aroma Therapy: When a fragrance wafted through the bedrooms of older adults for two hours every night for six months, memories skyrocketed. Participants in this study conducted by University of California, Irvine, neuroscientists reaped a 226 percent increase in cognitive capacity compared to the control group.

• Hearing and Vision Aids: A meta-analysis published in JAMA Neurology has shown that the use of hearing restorative devices by participants with hearing loss was associated with a 19 percent decrease in hazards of long-term cognitive decline. Furthermore, use of these devices was significantly associated with a 3 percent improvement in cognitive test scores that assessed general cognition in the short term. Another NIA-funded study in JAMA Neurology showed that 100,000 dementia cases could have been prevented by correcting vision impairment.

• Musculoskeletal Pain Reduction: A study published on March 26, 2024, in Nature Mental Health associated chronic musculoskeletal pain and premature dementia. This research points to microglial activation as the cause. Our published research on the root causes of pain (the SHINE protocol) has been highly effective at alleviating chronic pain. SHINE focuses on treating sleep, hormones, inflammation/infection, nutrition and exercise (as able).

Dementia may be accelerated by metabolic problems such as thyroid disorders and other hormonal deficiencies; untreated infections and inflammation; nutritional deficiencies; correctable hearing and vision loss; and over-the-counter medications like antihistamines and PPI acid blockers.

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