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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 then the fact that olive oil
is what is called a monsaturated 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

Photo Credit:
<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/67499195@N00/2071538655/”>96dpi</a>
via
<a href=”http://compfight.com”>Compfight</a>
<a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>cc</a>

Dr Jenny Brockis

Dr Jenny Brockis is a medical practitioner and internationally board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, workplace health and wellbeing consultant, podcaster, keynote speaker and best-selling author. Her new book 'Thriving Mind: How to Cultivate a Good Life' (Wiley) is available online and at all good bookstores.

One Comment

  • Tinus Boer says:

    Switching from cod liver oil to olive oil? Not a good idea. Better to do both. Cod liver oil, or any fish oil contain minerals that are no longer available in land based foods.

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