Common ingredient could cut dementia death risk by 28%

A common ingredient many of us use almost every day reduces the risk of dementia death by up to 28%, according to new research. A study of 92,383 American adults, found that those who had seven grams or more of olive oil a day saw a 28% reduction in dementia-related deaths, reports The Express.

JAMA Network Open’s analysis collected data from 1990 to 2023 which was published on Monday, Medical News reports. The study’s participants, of which 65.6 per cent were female, recorded 4,751 dementia-associated deaths over 33 years.

The Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, said: “Opting for olive oil, a natural product, instead of more processed fats such as margarine and mayonnaise, is a safe choice and may reduce risk of fatal dementia.

“Intervention studies are needed to confirm causal effect and optimal quantity of olive oil intake,” Medscape Medical News reports.

JAMA Network Open wrote in its published study: “Olive oil intake was inversely associated with dementia-related mortality in age-stratified and multivariable-adjusted models.

“Compared with participants with the lowest olive oil intake, the pooled HR for dementia-related death among participants with the highest olive oil intake (>7 g/d) was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.64-0.81), after adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.”

Dementia is a general term describing a decline in memory, problem-solving, language, and other cognitive functions that interfere with daily life, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, but there are over 200 subtypes of the condition.

In 2023, an estimated 6.7 million Americans over 65 were living with Alzheimer’s, National Institutes of Health reports.