The brain is thirsty for oil – Research shows how even a small amount has an effect – 2024-05-13 06:52:37

A small daily amount of olive oil can prevent dementia.

Harvard TH Chan researchers have reached such a result.

In a study published in JAMA, researchers looked at health data collected from tens of thousands of people.

Researchers found that those who consumed at least seven grams, or a generous teaspoon, of olive oil each day were less likely to die of dementia-related illnesses.

In the past, it has been known that the so-called Mediterranean diet is recommended for health. Such a diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish and olive oil.

A recent study highlights the importance of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet.

You should increase the use of soft fats, i.e. vegetable oils, and at the same time reduce the use of hard fats. Adobe Stock / AOP

A generous teaspoonful

The study examined the health data of more than 90,000 people, which had been collected over a period of more than 30 years.

It turned out that people who consumed at least a generous teaspoon of olive oil every day had a 28 percent lower chance of dying from a dementia-related disease than others.

The researchers also found that the people who used olive oil daily had at the same time reduced the use of butter and other vegetable oils in cooking. According to the researchers, this may have an effect on brain health.

It would therefore not only be essential to add soft oil in the diet, but also to leave out hard oil.

Increasing the use of soft vegetable oils and avoiding hard fats is recommended for overall health and especially for brain health.

Effects quickly

According to aivoliitto.fi, brain-healthy food contains unsaturated, i.e. soft vegetable and fish fat.

Olive oil is a soft fat, but so is, for example, rapeseed oil. Rapeseed oil can also be used in cooking and drizzled over salads.

According to Aevoliitto, the familiar domestic rapeseed oil is an excellent source of good fatty acids.

Especially omega-3 fatty acids are good for the brain. In addition to vegetable oils, omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in, for example, nuts, seeds, salmon, and also herring and herring.

You should switch to a diet containing good fatty acids right away, as the effects appear quickly.

If you start eating enough good fatty acids now, according to studies, within six months you will raise the fatty acid concentration in your blood and spinal fluid to the level that maintains your brain health.