According to its press release Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the long-term diet rich in extra virgin olive oil, perhaps starting at a young age, protects against Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, according to the results of the MICOIL pilot randomized trial of Greek researchers and clinicians published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
In the context of the study, scientists from the Department of Medicine of the AUTH and the Hellenic Society of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders investigated for the first time the effect of the Greek high phenol content of early harvest extra virgin olive oil versus the medium phenol content of extra virgin olive oil – and the Mediterranean Diet as a natural medicinal treatment for amnesic-type mild mental disorder. In addition, genetic predisposition (APOE ε4) to Alzheimer’s disease was examined and extensive neuropsychological assessments were performed at baseline and after 12 months.
Amnestic-type mild mental disorder is usually a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease and is characterized by memory loss and an inability to perform complex activities of daily living. While there is no cure for mild mental disorder and Alzheimer’s disease (other than symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s), the global effort against mental disorders is focused on early detection and management of Alzheimer’s disease in the amnesic stage of mild mental disorder.
A long-term intervention with a Mediterranean diet rich in extra virgin olive oil (50 ml daily) in 285 study participants with high vascular risk resulted in better cognitive function compared to the control diet group. The MICOIL study showed that long-term intervention with high-phenolic early-harvest extra virgin olive oil or medium-phenolic extra-virgin olive oil was associated with a significant improvement in cognitive functions compared to the Mediterranean Diet, regardless of the presence of APOE ε4.
At the second assessment after 12 months of follow-up, the study revealed better performance in the treatment group compared to the control group. “Until today, there is no other study that has examined in such a detailed way the effects of Greek extra virgin olive oil on elderly people with Mild Mental Disorder as an effective solution for mental impairment”, says the Professor of the Department of Medicine of AUTH, Magda Tsolaki.
The scientific team consists of the Professor of the Department of Medicine of the AUTH, Magda Tsolaki, and the researchers: Eftychia Lazarou, Machi Kozori, Niki Petridou, Irini Tabaki, Iulietta Lazarou, Maria Karakota, Iordani Saulidi, Eleni Melliou, as well as Dr. Professor of the Department of Pharmacy of EKPA, Prokopio Mayati.
More information about the work at the link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33044178/
Source: ΑΠΘ
