55 million is the number of people affected dementia worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This disorder is characterized by “an alteration of cognitive or intellectual functions and/or a deterioration of social functions”, we can read on the Health Insurance website. There Alzheimer’s disease is the primary cause: it is the cause of 60 to 70% of cases of dementia. Still incurable, it is important to make a diagnosis as early as possible in order to provide adequate support.
Throughout the world, researchers have looked into the means to put in place to reduce the risk neurodegenerative disease. Recently, researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, USA, found that consuming olive oil could help reduce the risk of dying from dementia. Their results are published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Dementia: consuming 7 grams of olive oil per day would reduce the risk of death
To arrive at these results, the researchers based themselves on health data from a panel of more than 90,000 people. Thanks to a questionnaire on eating habits, the researchers were able to estimate consumption olive oil participants and assessed their eating habits, particularly if they followed a Mediterranean diet. The duration of follow-up was 28 years.
Between 1990 and 2018, researchers noted 4,751 deaths linked to dementia. Among the risk factors, the authors note a genetic predisposition. Indeed, according to them, “people who were homozygous – who inherited the apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4) allele from both parents – were five to nine times more likely to die of dementia.”
Replacing mayonnaise or margarine with olive oil may reduce risk of death from dementia
More diet may also play a role in the development of dementia. Indeed, the authors found that people consuming at least 7 grams of olive oil per day, the equivalent of half a tablespoon, had a 28% lower risk of dying from dementia. The results were stable in people with the dementia risk gene.
Among the actions that can limit the risk, researchers noted that replacing 5 grams of margarine or mayonnaise with olive oil reduced the risk of dying from dementia by 8 to 14%. “These findings provide evidence to support dietary recommendations advocating the use of olive oil and other vegetable oils as a potential strategy for maintaining overall health and preventing dementia”write the researchers in their conclusions.
The authors, however, note some limitations to their study, such as the fact that it was carried out exclusively on people living in America or the fact that it is an observational study.
Sources :
- Consumption of Olive Oil and Diet Quality and Risk of Dementia-Related Death – JAMA Network Open.
- Key benchmarks on dementia – World Health Organization (WHO)
- Health Insurance – Understanding Alzheimer’s disease.
