A natural phenol called oleocanthal can be found in extra virgin olive oil. Oleocanthal helps remove aberrant proteins, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, from the brain, according to a study done on mice in the lab.
In the past, researchers have explained that rates of Alzheimer’s disease are lower in Mediterranean countries, where olive oil consumption is higher than in the rest of the world.
Amal Kaddoumi and his team set out to determine whether oleocanthal can help reduce the build-up of beta-amyloid, believed to be the culprit in Alzheimer’s disease. Their study is published in the journal Chemical Neuroscience.
The team monitored the effect of oleocanthal on brain cell cultures and in the brains of laboratory mice. They found that both in cultured brain cells and in the brains of mice, there was a steady increase in the production of two proteins and key enzymes known to be crucial in removing beta-amyloid from the brain.
The authors of the study concluded that: “Oleocanthal, derived from extra virgin olive oil and consumed through the Mediterranean diet, has the potential to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or related neurodegenerative disorders”.
Further details on this research you can find through this link and more information on another research completed in 2019 through this link.
