I am willing to admit that I’m struggling with names. I was never very good at it, but it’s clearly worse. More and more often, I will begin to introduce someone who I’ve known for years and find the mental rolodex empty right after I say, “I’d like you to meet my good friend…uh…”
My 98-year-old mother has a better memory than I do. I recently read, “The Age Proof Brain”, and then gave it to my nonagenarian Mother who reads voraciously. When I went home to visit her a week later, she had a pantry full of avocados and sweet potatoes (she still drives to the store to do her grocery shopping), which were recommended as brain food in the book. After this study, I am sure she will be adding olive oil, and so will I.
Harvard scientists recently published an article in JAMA Network Open which reports that a daily spoonful of olive oil could lower a person’s risk of dying from dementia. The study, which observed more than 92,000 adults over 28 years, showed that consuming at least 7 grams (around half a tablespoon) of olive oil daily was associated with a 28% lower risk of dementia-related death, compared with those who never or rarely ate olive oil. This relationship remained significant after adjusting for diet quality (e.g., a Mediterranean diet), and after accounting for APOE4 (apolipoprotein E, type 4)* gene status. Replacing 5 g (about 1 teaspoon) of margarine and mayonnaise with the equivalent amount of olive oil daily was associated with an 8-14% lower risk of dementia mortality. Interestingly, substitutions for other vegetable oils or butter were not significant.
I am pretty sure that when I go visit Mom next, she will serve me an avocado doused in olive oil. She worries about my brain.
–Caroline
*Here’s more information about why the APOE4 gene enhances Alzheimer’s risk. (Mom, I know you read this blog…)
Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.
