Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) appears to be effective in combating cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.
Extra virgin olive oil, a major component of the Mediterranean diet, protects against cognitive decline, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal "Annals of Clinic and Translational Neurology". The consumption of extra virgin olive oil protects memory and learning ability and reduces the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, a classic marker of Alzheimer's disease.
To study the relationship between extra virgin olive oil and dementia, Dr. Praticò and his colleagues used a model of genetically modified mice affected by Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers divided the animals into two groups, one received a diet enriched with extra virgin olive oil and the other was fed normally. The former group was fed with olive oil when the mice were six months old, before the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease began to appear.
Generally, there was no difference between the two groups of animals. However, at the age of 9 and 12 months, mice fed with the "extra virgin olive oil diet" group showed significant improvements in tests designed to assess working memory, spatial memory, and learning skills.
A NEW THERAPEUTIC PATHWAY AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
Brain tissue studies on the two groups of mice revealed differences in appearance and function of nerve cells. The integrity of the connections between neurons, called synapses, was preserved in animals fed with the "EVOO diet". Their brain cells showed a dramatic increase in the activation of nerve cell autophagy.
Autophagy is the process by which cells destroy themselves and remove intracellular debris and toxins, such as amyloid plaques and Tau proteins related to Alzheimer's disease.
"We found that olive oil reduces inflammation in the brain but, most importantly, activates a process known as autophagy," said lead author Domenico Praticò, professor in the departments of pharmacology and microbiology and at the LKSOM Center for Translational Medicine.
"This is an exciting discovery for us," said Dr. Praticò. "Through the activation of autophagy, memory and synaptic integrity were preserved, and the pathological effects in animals normally destined to develop Alzheimer's disease were significantly reduced. This is a very important discovery, as we suspect that a reduction in autophagy marks the beginning of Alzheimer's disease."
