A type of olive oil has a surprising effect on intellectual capacity during aging
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Olive oil has long been shown to benefit heart health, but a new Spanish study from Universitat Rovira i Virgili revealed that extra virgin olive oil can also protect brain health.
The study found that people who consumed virgin olive oil, rather than refined olive oil, had better cognitive function and greater diversity in the gut biome, which the researchers said is an “important marker of gut and metabolic health.”
“This is the first prospective study in humans that specifically analyzes the role of olive oil in the interaction between the intestinal microbiota and cognitive function,” says the study’s lead author, Jiaqi Ni, researcher at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the URV in Spain, in a press release.
The study used two years of data from more than 600 people ages 55 to 75 who were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome, factors that increase the risk of heart disease.
The study suggests that olive oil protects the brain by acting on the intestinal microbiota. Virgin olive oil increases the diversity of beneficial bacteria, which serves as a protective shield for cognitive health. (iStock)
The researchers tracked the participants’ consumption of virgin and refined olive oil, as well as their gut microbiota (the entire collection of living microorganisms in the human intestine).
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According to the researchers, the findings suggest that the increase in various intestinal bacteria is the reason why people who consume virgin olive oil have improved brain health. Those who consumed refined olive oil had less diversity in their gut over time.
“Not all olive oils have benefits for cognitive function.”
The main difference between refined and virgin olive oils is how they are processed, the researchers said.
Refined olive oil undergoes industrial treatments to eliminate impurities. These treatments degrade the oil, stripping it of natural antioxidants and vitamins that are beneficial to human health.
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The team also followed up to identify any changes in the participants’ cognitive function. Those who consumed extra virgin olive oil showed improvements in memory, attention and executive function over two years.
The researchers identified that a specific genus of bacteria, Adlercreutzia, is a potential indicator of brain preservation. Higher levels of this bacteria were found in those who used virgin olive oil. (iStock)
Refined olive oil did not show the same cognitive benefits.
“Not all olive oils have benefits for cognitive function,” Ni noted.
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This research reinforces the idea that the quality of the fats people consume is as important as the quantity, according to Jordi Salas-Salvadó, principal investigator of the study.
“Extra virgin olive oil not only protects the heart but may also help preserve the brain during aging,” it states in the press release.
The researchers explain that the industrial refining process of refined oil removes polyphenols and antioxidants that are essential for the “brain-boosting” effect. (iStock)
Because this was an observational study focused on older Mediterranean adults with specific health risks, the findings may not apply to the public, and the study does not prove that olive oil alone causes the cognitive changes.
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The researchers noted that factors such as smoking and lower educational levels were more common among those who used refined oil, which could skew the results despite their best efforts to adjust the data.
Additionally, the study relied on self-reported diets, which could have some risk of inaccuracies.
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The study was published in the journal Microbiome.
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Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant at News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of topics including food and drink, travel and health.