Olive Oil and Your Brain, and a New View on Produce






Olive oil is known to have protective effects on bone, heart disease and breast cancer risk. Its use in the Mediterranean diet has been associated with a 30% lower risk of death from heart attacks and stroke in a recent Spanish study. Here’s more!






In 2009, Researchers at Columbia University in New York found that elderly people who were physically active and ate a Mediterranean diet, had a 32-40% lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared with those who did not. The Mediterranean diet was defined as including a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains and fish, and a lower use of red meat. About 50 milliliters of olive oil (roughly 1/5th cup per day) is consumed.






Research into the lower amounts of dementia on this diet has found a compound in extra virgin olive oil called oleocanthal. Amal Kaddoumi and her colleagues at the University of Louisiana looked at whether oleocanthal helped to decrease the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain, as this substance is believed to be the culprit in AD. They applied different concentrations of oleocanthal to mouse brain cell cultures, and also gave oleocanthal to live mice. In both trials, levels of the two proteins that transport beta-amyloid out of the brain as well as enzymes that degrade beta-amyloid increased significantly. The researchers then introduced beta-amyloid into live mice brains. Compared with control groups, the mice given oleocanthal showed significantly enhanced clearance and degradation of the beta-amyloid peptides.






This study has exciting implications for the prevention of AD. While pharmacologists are figuring out how to make a medicine from oleocanthal, you can use extra-virgin olive oil as your main source of fat. Investigate how to make an oliveoil/herb spread for your bread. It is important to note that being physically active and eating a lot of fresh produce is also important to keep your brain healthy.






Breeding the Nutrition out of Food: Jo Robinson, an investigative reporter, has just published a book called Eating on the Wild Side. She notes that over the last 10,000 years since we stopped foraging for wild plants and instituted farming and gardening, we have selected the least bitter plants to grow in our gardens. While this has made some foods tastier, it has decreased their phytonutrients. Robinson is not talking about genetic engineering, but conventional selective plant breeding which has gone on for millennia but has recently accelerated. She notes that purple Peruvian potatoes have vastly more nutrients than the white potato, and blue corn is greatly superior to white corn, even though white corn is sweeter and more popular. I will write more about her findings when I get her book. In the meantime, she suggests arugula, which is very similar to its wild ancestor, and scallions, which resemble wild onions. She suggests using plentiful amounts of fresh herbs in cooking. Rebecca Katz, author of The Cancer Fighting Kitchen and The Longevity Kitchen, also promotes the use of herbs as ingredients in many dishes, including salads. Don’t overlook those amazing deep purple Japanese sweet potatoes if you can find them. Go for color, and spiciness; you will be on the right track.


Sadja Greenwood, MD, MPH -->

Olive Oil - What are its advantages?

New studies show some surprising benefits for olive oil, including a possible protective effect on bone. Spanish research, to be published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, shows that consumption of a Mediterranean diet enriched with olive oil is associated with increased serum osteocalcin and other bone formation markers. Osteocalcin is produced by bone cells called osteoblasts, and is used as a marker for bone formation. Prior to this study, it had been noted that the incidence of osteoporosis in Europe was lower in the Mediterranean basin. All subjects in this study were instructed to eat a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, lean protein from fish, poultry, and beans, and whole grains instead of white flour bread and pasta. Olive oil was their added fat.

Another Spanish study in 2010 showed that the phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil change how genes function. Phenols are chemical compounds found in plants that have many unique properties. In conjunction with a Mediterranean diet, genes related to atherosclerosis were down regulated, and there was a positive impact on oxidation of fats and DNA, insulin resistance, inflammation, carcinogenesis and tumor suppression. Atherosclerosis is a disorder that occurs when fat, cholesterol and other substances build up in the walls of arteries and form hard structures called plaques. This diminishes blood flow and can lead to heart attack and stroke.

Breast cancer risk may also be modified by virgin olive oil. Spanish scientists at the University of Barcelona decoded the signals within breast tumor cells activated by olive oil, concluding that benefits include decrease in activity of an oncogene, and stimulation of tumor cell death. An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer, if activated by mutations in another gene or certain environmental factors. Olive oil also showed ability to prevent DNA damage. Corn oil and some other vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, can increase the aggressiveness of cancers.

Virgin olive oil is oil produced by crushing olives mechanically, with no chemical treatment. It has an acidity of less than 1.5%. Extra virgin olive oil comes from virgin olive oil and is lower in acidity (less than 0.8%) and is judged to have the best taste. Virgin olive oils contain the highest levels of phenolic compounds and anti-oxidants that have been linked with better health.

Using olive oil or canola oil on your salads will give you the best absorption of carotenes from colorful vegetables, according to a new study from Purdue University. Low fat and non-fat salad dressings resulted in minimal carotene absorption. Carotenes are pigments that occur in vegetables and fruits and have multiple healthy properties. Avocado is another healthy fat that enhances carotene absorption. If you do use canola oil, make sure that it is organic. Otherwise you will be using genetically modified canola that may be high in pesticides and herbicides, as ‘superweeds’ and resistant insects have evolved to make the application of Roundup less effective. More spraying is necessary.

Your vote in support of Proposition 37 in November will help to ensure that genetically modified food products are labeled in California. This is a huge issue for food companies, who have raised millions against the proposition. Stay tuned, and read the arguments on your ballot carefully.

Sadja Greenwood, MD, MPH back issues on this blog