One type of olive oil has a surprising effect on brainpower during aging

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 may also protect brain health.

The study found that people who consumed virgin olive oil — rather than refined olive oil — had improved cognitive function and greater diversity in the gut biome, which the researchers claim is an "important marker of intestinal and metabolic health."

"This is the first prospective study in humans to specifically analyze the role of olive oil in the interaction between gut microbiota and cognitive function," lead study author Jiaqi Ni, researcher at the URV’s Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology in Spain, stated in a press release.

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The study used two years of data from more than 600 people between the ages of 55 and 75 who were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome, factors that increase the risk of heart disease.

The researchers tracked the participants’ consumption of both refined and virgin olive oil, as well as their gut microbiota (the entire collection of living microorganisms in the human gut).

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The findings suggest that the uptick in diverse gut bacteria is the reason that people consuming virgin olive oil have improved brain health, according to the researchers. Those who consumed refined olive oil had less diversity in their gut over time.

The main difference between refined and virgin olive oils is how they are processed, the researchers said.

Refined olive oil undergoes industrial treatments to remove impurities. These treatments degrade the oil, stripping it of the natural antioxidants and vitamins that are beneficial to human health.

The team also did a follow-up to identify any changes in participants’ cognitive function. Those who consumed extra virgin olive oil showed improved memory, attention and executive function over two years.

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 fat 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 can also help preserve the brain during aging," he said in the press release.

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 caused the cognitive changes. 

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The researchers noted that factors like smoking and lower education levels were more common among those using refined oil, which could skew 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.