Extra Virgin Olive Oil Contains Essential Vitamins
Olive oil is a significant source of vitamins E and K, two vitamins with proven brain health benefits:
Vitamin E helps prevent mental decline as we age. It’s an effective antioxidant which protects 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 around the stricken area after the event.
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 thought to play a role in preventing Alzheimer’s since patients are often found to be deficient.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Decreases Risk Of Depression
One of the most unexpected benefits of olive oil is that it can reduce the risk of depression.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is loaded with unhealthy trans fats from fast food, processed food, and vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, soy, and safflower which are extracted with heat and chemical solvents.
When participants in a large study called The SUN Project replaced these less healthy vegetable oils with olive oil, their risk of depression plummeted by almost 50%.
Researchers concluded that the more trans fats consumed, the higher the risk of depression.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Increases Brain-Boosting Chemicals
Another surprising benefit of olive oil is that it boosts levels of two critical brain chemicals, brain-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 are associated with depression.
Nerve growth factor enhances the growth, repair, and signaling of sensory nerve cells which are responsible for transmitting information, such as sight and sound.
Additionally, monounsaturated fats — the kind found in olive oil — increase levels of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter of memory and learning.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil helps Protect The Brain From Degenerative Diseases
The last brain health 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% and boost mental wellness.