How olive oil benefits your brain
by Brocky Wilson
04/07/2021 – The brain benefits of high-quality olive oil make it a best brain food. Learn how to choose genuine extra virgin olive oil (and avoid widespread fake oil). The health benefits of olive oil are legendary. It’s a major component of the Mediterranean diet which is widely considered the healthiest way to eat for health and longevity. People from this region are some of the healthiest and longest-living people on the planet. Some of the wellknown health advantages of olive oil include its ability to help boost the immune system, increase bone density, prevent heart disease, and reduce risk of diabetes. Another equally important, but often overlooked, benefit of olive oil is its contribution to good brain health. Benefits of olive oil for brain health and mental wellness As a key part of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil may be in part why people who live in longevity zones like Ikaria, Greece rarely suffer from depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. Here’s a look at some of the ways olive oil helps keep your brain healthy now and helps protect it from future degeneration. Olive oil is high in brainprotective antioxidants Your brain uses a lot of oxygen — 20 percent of your total intake. This makes it especially vulnerable to oxidation caused by free radicals. If you’ve ever seen a cut apple turn brown or an old car get rusty, you’ve seen oxidation at work. A similar process happens in the cells of your brain. The health benefits of olive oil are believed to be largely due to its high level of polyphenols. Olive oil contains over 30 phenolic compounds that are potent antioxidants and free radical scavengers. Polyphenols also play an important role in keeping bottled oil fresh. Olive oil is high in essential brain vitamins Olive oil is a significant source of vitamins E and K, two vitamins with proven brain benefits: Vitamin E Vitamin E helps prevent mental decline as we age. It’s an effective antioxidant which helps protect the brain from free radical damage. Vitamin E, especially in the presence of vitamin C, helps to maintain a good memory, slow memory loss, and significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Vitamin E can minimize the damage caused by a stroke by redirecting blood supply after the event Vitamin K Vitamin K is found mainly in green leafy vegetables. If you don’t eat as many of these as you should, you can get the vitamin K you need from olive oil. Vitamin K helps keep your brain sharp as you age and boosts your brain processing speed. It can improve your ability to remember words, a big problem for many of us as we get older. Vitamin K is believed to play a role in preventing Alzheimer´s since patients are often found to be deficient. Olive oil increases brain-boosting chemicals Another surprising benefit of olive oil is that it boosts levels of two cbrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF).) These compounds encourage the formation and repair of brain cells. BDNF is a protein that stimulates new brain cell formation. BDNF can offset the negative effects of stress on the brain. Low levels of BDNF are associated with depression.) Olive oil helps protect the brain from degenerative diseases The last brain benefit of olive oil is that it can ward off cognitive decline. Higher intake of monounsaturated fats improves memory and other cognitive functions in seniors. Eating a Mediterranean diet high in olive oil can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 40 percent. Olive oil is an essential part of the MIND diet.
