Forget the cod liver oil, it’s a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil we need to take

Olive oil – it just gets better and better.

My husband loves olive oil. He loves it so much he adds a dollop of extra virgin olive oil to all his salads, his mash and even his corn on the cob. So much better than butter he declares.

Well, it turns out he may be right.

Olive oil contains a substance called oleocanthal, which is a mouthful in itself. Oleocanthal is a phenol and studies suggest it may have a neuroprotective effect for the brain by enhancing the removal of beta amyloid from the brain.

So this, rather than the fact that olive oil is what is called a monounsaturated fat, is what makes it so good for us.

Amal Kaddoumi and his research colleagues undertook mouse studies that examined how oleocanthal boosts the production of two proteins, key enzymes critical to removing beta amyloid from the brain. This might go a little way to help explain why following a Mediterranean style diet rich in olive oil is linked to a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.

My husband will be delighted.

Ref:

Alaa H. Abuznait, Hisham Qosa, Belnaser A. Busnena, Khalid A. El Sayed, Amal Kaddoumi. Olive-Oil-Derived Oleocanthal Enhances β-Amyloid Clearance as a Potential Neuroprotective Mechanism against Alzheimer’s Disease: In Vitro and in Vivo Studies. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 2013; : 130225100811007 DOI: 10.1021/cn400024q