Unlikely the comic strip Olive Oil, the skinny, weak and unable to survive young lady, without her Popeye the Sailor Man, rescuing her constantly, olive oil is not a nutritional weakling. It is a super food very high in monounsaturated fats that lower cholesterol levels and appears to be a medical wonder.
Studies and experiments in universities all over the world have proven that olive oil is the healthiest fat. The extra virgin olive oil is very high in antioxidants and especially in one called DHPEA-EDA. When researchers exposed red blood cells under oxidative stress to the DHPEA-EDA they found that this antioxidant provided the best stress relief.
In the Journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology was published that the oleocanthal binds the toxic proteins that clog the synapses (junctions between neurones in the brain) on the hippocampus (hippocampus is the part of the brain that is mostly effected by Alzheimer’s) which is the sign for Alzheimer’s disease.
This research was conducted by Dr. Jason Pitt and his colleagues from the Northwestern University, Western Illinois University, the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University in the US and the Universidate Federal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
It was published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, that the researchers have also found out that extra virgin olive oil is linking to the prevention of the Alzheimer’s disease. Studies constantly prove that olive oil is a medical wonder.
Another study in the Daily Express proves that the oleocanthal in the extra virgin olive oil, which is a natural compound that gives olive oil its peppery taste, nerve cells exposed to the oleocanthal are better protected from toxins that damage them. This indicates that olive oil extract may be a very important factor in the future drug development for the Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder. The exact causes are not clear yet, but the results are forgetfulness, confusion, delusion, disorientation etc.
Researchers say that the neuro-protective properties in the oleocanthal, that comes from the olive oil disrupts the deterioration of the brain cells. In the publication of the Daily Telegraph, Dr. Paul Breslin a shychobiologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and lead author of the research says that the results are going to help in the development of effective preventative measures and the improvement in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. He also said that if antibody treatment of the disease is enhanced by oleocanthal, the effects of this compound can lead to a successful treatment of this incurable disease.
Extra virgin olive oil may hold the key to defeating the Alzheimer’s disease.