Olive oil serves not only as a culinary mainstay but also as a potential safeguard against dementia-related mortality.
On the 6th of May, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as reported by the JAMA Network, unveiled a study unveiling an intriguing connection. Their findings propose that consuming 7 grams of olive oil daily could correlate with a significant 28% decrease in the risk of death from dementia, in contrast to individuals who infrequently or never incorporate this substance into their diets.
The study, christened "Consumption of Olive Oil and Diet Quality and Risk of Dementia-Related Death," underscored the broad implications of this discovery. It emphasized that within the demographic of U.S. adults, heightened olive oil consumption displayed an independent association with reduced dementia-related mortality, irrespective of overall dietary habits. Beyond its established cardiovascular benefits, the study posited olive oil as a prospective ally in cognitive health maintenance.
In summary, the study's conclusions hint at the potential role of olive oil intake as a proactive measure against the risk of dementia-related mortality.
During the extensive observational period spanning from 1990 to 2018, over 92,000 participants were meticulously scrutinized. At intervals of four years, these individuals were queried regarding their frequency of olive oil consumption and other dietary habits. Over the course of the 28-year investigation, a total of 4,751 deaths attributed to dementia were recorded.
The cohort under scrutiny comprised health professionals, encompassing a cohort of more than 60,000 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study, alongside nearly 32,000 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
Anne-Julie Tessier, one of the co-authors, underscored the study's validation of dietary guidelines advocating for the inclusion of vegetable oils, particularly olive oil. She emphasized the dual benefits, highlighting how such recommendations not only promote cardiovascular health but potentially bolster brain function as well. Tessier further endorsed the adoption of olive oil over alternative fats like margarine and commercial mayonnaise, deeming it a prudent and potentially life-preserving dietary choice.
In a noteworthy revelation, the study unveiled that substituting 5 grams of mayonnaise or margarine with an equivalent quantity of olive oil correlated with a notable 8-14% reduction in the risk of mortality related to dementia.
Furthermore, researchers uncovered a compelling correlation between the presence of the APOE e4 gene and heightened susceptibility to dementia-related mortality. According to the National Institute on Aging, this gene stands as the preeminent genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, rendering carriers 5 to 9 times more prone to succumb to dementia.
In correspondence with The Washington Post, Marta Guasch-Ferré, a nutrition professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, elucidated the multifaceted benefits of olive oil. She elucidated that olive oil, abundant in monounsaturated fats and endowed with compounds boasting antioxidant properties, holds promise as a protective agent for the brain.
Building upon Guasch-Ferré's insights, Anne-Julie Tessier highlighted the potential direct impact of olive oil on brain health, postulating that its constituents may traverse the blood-brain barrier. Furthermore, Tessier underscored the symbiotic relationship between olive oil and heart health, suggesting that its cardiovascular benefits may indirectly contribute to brain well-being.
Despite the encouraging findings, Guasch-Ferré cautioned that further intervention studies are imperative to establish causal relationships and delineate the optimal quantity of olive oil consumption. It's worth noting that while the study identified an association between olive oil intake and reduced dementia-related mortality, it stopped short of establishing causality.
In a notable limitation, researchers revealed to The Washington Post their inability to discern the specific varieties of olive oil utilized throughout the extensive duration of the study.
The Quran - Chapter Qaf : 06 - 11
Have they not then looked at the sky above them: how We built it and adorned it ˹with stars˺, leaving it flawless?
As for the earth, We spread it out and placed upon it firm mountains, and produced in it every type of pleasant plant—
˹all as˺ an insight and a reminder to every servant who turns ˹to Allah˺.
And We send down blessed rain from the sky, bringing forth gardens and grains for harvest,
and towering palm trees ˹loaded˺ with clustered fruit,
˹as˺ a provision for ˹Our˺ servants. And with this ˹rain˺ We revive a lifeless land. Similar is the emergence ˹from the graves˺.
The meaningfulness of the universe, its creative wisdom, its being free of shortcomings, and its being consistent with human needs compel every thinking and rational man to accept the sublimity of creation, and one who gives serious consideration to the system of the universe, will find the Creator in His creations.
He will see a glimpse of the other world (the Hereafter) in this world, because, in fact, the world of the Hereafter is essentially another, more superior form of the present world.
