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Olive Oil Hunter News #273

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Churrascas Recipe, Spotlight on Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Cooking, The Right Rolling Pin for the Job, More Concerns over Ultra-processed Foods, and Travel: The New Fountain of Youth

I came back from my most recent trip to Chile with more recipes than could fit in the Pressing Report, so I’m sharing the first one of two with you here. Delicious and easy-to-make churrascas, traditional Chilean flatbreads, cook up fast on the stovetop. They’re perfect for filling taco-style with grilled meat cubes, topping with shredded cheese and salsa, slicing in half for sandwiches, or simply drizzling with fresh-pressed Chilean olive oil! Then check out new research on the risks of eating ultra-processed foods, plus more evidence of the positive effects of travel.

Churrascas

  • Churrascas Chilean Flatbread Churrascas

    Churrascas are a great last-minute homemade bread because the dough needs just a short amount of rest after kneading. While this recipe calls for making them on the stovetop, you can also make them on your grill, cooking as many as will fit all at once. Do enjoy them right away, while they’re still soft and pillowy. Note: Don’t confuse churrasca the bread with churrasco the grilled meat that’s often stuffed into a sandwich—you will find a great recipe for that in the current Chilean Pressing Report.

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 cup olive oil 
    • 3/4 cup warm tap water, to start

    Directions

    Step 1

    In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Combine the oil and 3/4 cup water in a measuring cup, whisk, and add to the bowl; stir to make a dough ball. If the dough is raggy, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes or by hand for 10 minutes until smooth.

    Step 2

    Turn out the dough and cut into 6 portions. Roll each one into a ball, then roll them out, one at a time, with a rolling pin, doing quarter-turns until about 5 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.

    Step 3

    Heat a griddle, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add two churrascas and cook for about 5 minutes, turn with tongs, and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat twice more with the rest of the rounds.

    Yields 6 churrascas

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Cooking

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Cooking

While many Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club members love drizzling EVOO on food or even sipping it as a daily health ritual, olive oil is also meant for cooking. I was pleased when, in 2019, the famed Culinary Institute of America (CIA) put out a whitepaper promoting olive oil to improve the health of the planet and its inhabitants, declaring it to be the best cooking fat from a health and sustainability perspective. What’s more, CIA recommended olive oil for all methods of cooking, including high-heat frying, dismissing the myth about a low smoke point. I encourage you to expand your olive oil recipe repertoire.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: The Right Rolling Pin for the Job

Quick Kitchen Nugget

The Right Rolling Pin for the Job

Rolling pins

If you only have one rolling pin, make it atapered French rolling pin, say expert bakers. It’s a single solid piece of wood that tapers at the ends. The tapered ends allow your fingers to wrap around the wood for good downward pressure and make it easier to make the quarter-turns needed for smooth dough with uniform thickness. 

The second one to have in your kitchen is a dowel or cylindrical rolling pin. It’s great for gettingeven thickness across large sheets of dough, no matter what thickness you need to achieve. This straight-shaped rolling pin has the same consistent diameter along its entire length. 

The common American or roller-style pin has handles on either end that rotate on internal bearings, so you can push down firmly without gripping the roller. It’s best for stiffer doughs, like cookies. 

For Your Best Health: More Concerns over Ultra-processed Foods 

For Your Best Health 

More Concerns over Ultra-processed Foods 

A new study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, a journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, suggests that eating more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) could make it harder to stay focused and may contribute to factors linked to dementia, even among people who otherwise follow healthy diets. UPFs include products such as soft drinks, packaged salty snacks, and ready-made meals. Unlike fresh or minimally processed foods, these products undergo extensive industrial processing.

Researchers from Monash University, the University of São Paulo, and Deakin University analyzed dietary and cognitive data from more than 2,100 middle-aged and older Australian adults who did not have dementia. They used data from the Healthy Brain Project, which is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Dementia Australia Research Foundation, the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation, the Yulgilbar Alzheimer’s Research Program, the National Heart Foundation of Australia, and the Charleston Conference for Alzheimer’s Disease. Participants in the study obtained about 41 percent of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, nearly matching the Australian national average of 42 percent.

The study found that even modest increases in ultra-processed food consumption were associated with measurable declines in attention and mental processing speed. Lead author Dr. Barbara Cardoso, from Monash University’s Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food and the Victorian Heart Institute, said the results add to growing evidence linking highly processed foods to poorer brain health. “To put our findings in perspective, a 10 percent increase in UPFs is roughly equivalent to adding a standard packet of chips to your daily diet,” Dr. Cardoso said. “For every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food a person consumed, we saw a distinct and measurable drop in a person’s ability to focus. In clinical terms, this translated to consistently lower scores on standardized cognitive tests measuring visual attention and processing speed.”

One of the study’s most notable findings was that the negative effects on attention appeared regardless of a person’s overall diet quality. Even participants who generally followed a healthy Mediterranean-style diet showed the same relationship between greater ultra-processed food intake and poorer focus. According to the researchers, this suggests that the level of processing itself may play an important role.

“Food ultra-processing often destroys the natural structure of food and introduces potentially harmful substances like artificial additives or processing chemicals,” Dr. Cardoso said. “These additives suggest the link between diet and cognitive function extends beyond just missing out on foods known as healthy, pointing to mechanisms linked to the degree of food processing itself.”

The researchers also found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with an increase in known dementia risk factors. These include conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure, both of which can be managed to help support long-term brain health. While the study did not identify a direct link between ultra-processed foods and memory loss, the researchers note that attention is a fundamental cognitive function. It plays a critical role in learning, problem-solving, and many other mental tasks. Because attention serves as the foundation for so many aspects of thinking, declines in focus may represent an important early warning sign of broader cognitive changes.

Fitness Flash Icon: Travel: The New Fountain of Youth

Fitness Flash

Travel: The New Fountain of Youth

New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) reinforces the idea that travel can be a surprisingly powerful anti-aging tool. Researchers found that positive travel experiences may help the body stay balanced and resilient. Activities like exploring new places, staying active, and connecting with others can boost immunity, metabolism, and stress recovery. However, stressful or unsafe travel could reverse these benefits.

In 2024, we reported on ECU’s interdisciplinary study published in the Journal of Travel Research, for which researchers applied the theory of entropy to tourism, proposing that positive travel experiences may support physical and mental health in ways that could help slow some signs of aging. The work does not suggest that travel can stop aging, but it frames tourism as more than a break from routine. It may be a way to help the body maintain balance, resilience, and repair.

Entropy is often described as the universe’s movement toward disorder. In the context of health, the researchers suggest that experiences can either support or disrupt the body’s ability to stay organized and functioning well. Positive travel experiences may help reduce that drift toward disorder, while stressful or unsafe travel may push the body in the opposite direction.

Since the 2024 study, related work has continued to explore travel therapy as a possible health and wellness approach. A 2025 research note by ECU PhD candidate Ms. Fangli Hu and colleagues described travel therapy as an emerging approach in which positive travel experiences may promote well-being, while also emphasizing the need to weigh benefits against risks.

Another 2025 paper called for closer collaboration between travel medicine and tourism, reflecting a growing interest in how vacations, health risks, preventive care, and traveler well-being overlap. A 2025 systematic review also found that tourism and healthy aging is becoming an important interdisciplinary research area but remains underexplored and in need of stronger methods and clearer future research directions.

T. J. Robinson and Juan Carlos Pérez, with olive harvest in Chile

Together, these newer findings support a careful interpretation: travel may offer real health-related benefits, especially when it includes movement, social connection, novelty, and restoration, but researchers are still working to understand how strong those effects are and who benefits most.

“Aging, as a process, is irreversible. While it can’t be stopped, it can be slowed down,” Ms. Hu said, explaining that travel may improve well-being by placing people in new environments, encouraging movement, increasing social interaction, and creating positive emotions. Those same ideas already appear in areas such as wellness tourism, health tourism, and yoga tourism.

“Tourism isn’t just about leisure and recreation. It could also contribute to people’s physical and mental health,” Ms. Hu added.

Viewed through an entropy lens, travel therapy could become a meaningful health intervention, Hu said. The idea is that positive travel experiences, as part of a person’s environment, may help the body maintain a healthier low-entropy state by influencing four major body systems.

Travel often combines unfamiliar surroundings with relaxing experiences. New settings can stimulate the body, raise metabolic activity, and help activate self-organizing processes that keep biological systems working smoothly. These experiences may also prompt the adaptive immune system, which helps the body recognize and respond to outside threats.

Ms. Hu said that this reaction improves the body’s ability to perceive and defend itself against external threats: “Put simply, the self-defense system becomes more resilient. Hormones conducive to tissue repair and regeneration may be released and promote the self-healing system’s functioning.”

Relaxing travel activities may also help reduce chronic stress and calm an overactive immune response. Recreation can ease tension and fatigue in the muscles and joints, supporting metabolic balance and strengthening the body’s ability to resist wear and tear.

This matters because travel is rarely just sitting still. Trips often include walking through cities, hiking trails, climbing, cycling, or simply spending more time on your feet than usual. That physical activity can increase metabolism, energy use, and nutrient movement throughout the body, all of which may support the systems that keep the body repaired and resilient.

“Participating in these activities could enhance the body’s immune function and self-defense capabilities, bolstering its hardiness to external risks. Physical exercise may also improve blood circulation, expedite nutrient transport, and aid waste elimination to collectively maintain an active self-healing system. Moderate exercise is beneficial to the bones, muscles, and joints in addition to supporting the body’s anti-wear-and-tear system,” Ms. Hu said.

The same research also cautions that travel is not automatically healthy. Tourists can face infectious diseases, accidents, injuries, violence, unsafe food or water, and other risks linked to poor planning or unsuitable travel choices. “Conversely, tourism can involve negative experiences that potentially lead to health problems, paralleling the process of promoting entropy increase. A prominent example is the public health crisis of COVID-19,” said Hu.

The central message is not that any trip will slow aging. Rather, positive travel experiences may help the body and mind function better by combining novelty, relaxation, physical activity, and social connection. When travel is safe, restorative, and active, it may do more than create memories. It could help support healthier aging from the inside out.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #272

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Glorious Greens Salad Recipe, Spotlight on Summer Lettuce, Cleaning Greens, Olive Oil Helps Fight Diabetes, plus Exercise Needs and GLP-1s

“Mixed salad” takes on new meaning—and elevated taste—when you choose a bright selection of summer lettuces and add one of my favorite vinaigrettes. It’s perfect when you want a light dish on a warm day. As you’ll see from the first study I’m including, more than its delicious taste, extra virgin olive oil could help keep diabetes at bay. The second piece of research is a reminder of the importance of exercise to maintain muscle mass when on a GLP-1 medication.

Glorious Greens Salad

  • Glorious greens salad Glorious Greens Salad

    The variety of lettuces is what makes this salad so special. It features a vinaigrette that combines the sweetness of balsamic with the tartness of red wine vinegar. Remember that true balsamic vinegar must come from Modena, Italy. Turn this salad into a meal by adding cold shrimp or grilled chicken.

    Ingredients

    For the vinaigrette:

    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar from Modena
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
    • 1/2 garlic clove, minced 
    • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

    For the salad:

    • 1 head green leaf lettuce
    • 1 head red leaf lettuce
    • 1 small head romaine
    • 1 large Belgian endive
    • 1 bunch watercress or arugula
    • 1 small head radicchio
    • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Directions

    Step 1

    In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the two vinegars, mustard, honey, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with black pepper and more salt; set aside.

    Step 2

    Trim the various lettuces and greens and discard any tough or marred outer leaves. Carefully wash and dry the remaining leaves (see Quick Kitchen Nugget in newsletter). 

    Step 3

    Leave small lettuce leaves whole, but cut the romaine, endive, radicchio, and any large leaves into wide ribbons. Toss all together in a large bowl. To assemble each dish, mound a handful on each of 6 large plates, drizzle with vinaigrette, then top each with a second handful and more vinaigrette. Sprinkle with equal amounts of the grated cheese and some fresh pepper. 

    Yields 6 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Summer lettuce

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Summer Lettuce

Whether you’re growing lettuce in your garden or shopping farmers’ markets, certain lettuces stand out as summer varieties. They’re heat-tolerant, resist bolting or going to seed, and won’t turn bitter. They include numerous types of summercrisp, which are sweet yet crunchy; oakleaf, with red or green leaves; romaine, both small and large heads; and butterhead, such as tender Boston and Bibb.

Though the calories in lettuce varieties are negligible, these leafy greens have many vitamins and minerals, notably vitamin A and potassium. With the exception of iceberg, various lettuces offer moderate amounts of vitamin C, calcium, iron, and copper. Know that the darker the leaf color, the greater the nutrients. The spines and ribs are good sources of fiber, so keep them. While you can rinse leaves in advance and keep them wrapped in paper towels, cut them just prior to eating to avoid discoloration.

summer greens
Quick Kitchen Nugget: Cleaning Greens 

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Cleaning Greens 

Rather than rinsing lettuce leaves under a stream of water, try the float method to clean your greens. Plunge them into a very large bowl filled with cool water (do this in batches if necessary). Use one hand to slosh them around, then leave for 5 minutes. Any dirt will settle to the bottom of the bowl. Take out the leaves in handfuls, shaking them and transferring to paper towels; blot dry.

For Your Best Health: Olive Oil Helps Fight Diabetes

For Your Best Health 

Olive Oil Helps Fight Diabetes

Not all fats affect your body the same way. Researchers from the CIBER Area for Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM) at the University of Barcelona in Spain took a close look at the contrasting effects of two major fatty acids found in the diet, palmitic acid and oleic acid. The goal was to learn how each might influence the risk of type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects millions of people worldwide and is linked to serious health complications and premature death. 

They found that palmitic acid, a saturated fat common in many foods, may contribute to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes by triggering inflammation, toxic fat buildup, and cellular stress. In contrast, oleic acid—the heart-healthy monounsaturated fat abundant in olive oil—appears to help protect insulin function and may even counter some of the harmful effects of palmitic acid. The study was published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism.

“Palmitic acid is associated with impaired insulin sensitivity, whereas oleic acid, abundant in olive oil, may have a protective effect against these metabolic disorders,” said Professor Manuel Vázquez-Carrera, PhD, from the UB’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, the UB Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) and CIBERDEM. “This review highlights the significant role of the quality of dietary fat, rather than the total amount consumed,” he noted.

The researchers examined evidence showing that palmitic acid can trigger several biological processes linked to metabolic disease. As Xavier Palomer, PhD, the article’s first author, said, “At the molecular level, palmitic acid promotes the accumulation of potentially toxic bioactive lipids, fosters low-grade chronic inflammation, and contributes to the dysfunction of cellular organelles, such as the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria.” The team explained that these cellular changes “are closely linked to impaired insulin action and the progression of metabolic disease.”

Freshly picked olives from harvest

The picture looks quite different for oleic acid. According to the review, oleic acid encourages the body to store fats in forms that are metabolically less disruptive and have little effect on normal cellular function. It also helps maintain healthy insulin signaling in important metabolic tissues, including the liver, muscles, and adipose tissue. Researchers said oleic acid may also offset many of the harmful effects associated with palmitic acid. This could help explain why eating patterns rich in monounsaturated fats, including the Mediterranean diet, are consistently linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

The authors emphasized that more targeted research is needed to better understand differences seen across population studies. “It is important to consider variables such as the source of fatty acids, their dietary context, interactions with other nutrients, and different food processing methods,” said Dr. Vázquez-Carrera. Gaining a clearer understanding of these factors will improve scientists’ ability to evaluate how different fats affect metabolic health. In turn, that knowledge could support the development of more effective dietary approaches for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes.

Fitness Flash Icon: Exercise Needs and GLP-1s

Fitness Flash

Exercise Needs and GLP-1s

According to research presented at the Endocrine Society’s 2026 annual meeting, people taking these popular weight-loss drugs may be losing pounds, but they could also be moving less. Researchers analyzing Fitbit data found that daily step counts and exercise levels dropped after people started these medications, despite successful weight loss. Because the drugs can reduce muscle mass along with fat, the decline in physical activity raises concerns about preserving strength and long-term health.

The finding may come as a surprise because many people assume that shedding excess weight naturally makes it easier to move more. However, researchers found the opposite trend among people taking medications including semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound), liraglutide, and dulaglutide.

While these drugs can be highly effective for weight loss, they reduce more than just body fat. They can also contribute to a loss of lean muscle mass, making physical activity especially important for maintaining strength and overall health. Protecting muscle is a key part of healthy weight loss, explained study leader Sajana Maharjan, MD, of HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois.

To investigate how activity levels changed after starting treatment, researchers analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, which combines electronic health records with Fitbit activity data. The study began with 1,950 adults with obesity who started a GLP-1 medication. Of those, 753 participants had enough wearable-device data to be included in the final analysis. Most were women (78.6%), and the average age was 52.7 years.

Researchers compared physical activity before and after participants began taking the medications. They focused on daily step counts and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The results showed a clear decline in movement after treatment began. Average daily step counts fell from 5,047 to 4,487 steps per day. Time spent in MVPA also dropped, decreasing from 28 minutes to 22 minutes per day. The largest decreases were seen in men and in people who reported joint or muscle pain. Factors such as age, heart failure, and a previous stroke did not alter the findings. Importantly, the researchers found no evidence that losing weight with these medications led people to become more physically active.

“The findings reinforce that exercise cannot be optional for people taking these medications. People need targeted interventions that encourage physical activity alongside medication for obesity,” Dr. Maharjan said.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #271

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Triple Berry Ice Cream Recipe, Spotlight on Ice Cream, Freezer Containers, Coffee for Brain Health, and How to Make Strength Your Superpower

Celebrate our country’s 250th birthday with this red, white, and blue ice cream that’s big on flavor as well as nutrients (read about the surprising benefits of real ice cream below). Thinking about having another cup of coffee? New research may give you the green light. And find out why a firm handshake should be your new superpower.

Triple Berry Ice Cream 

  • Triple berry ice cream Triple Berry Ice Cream

    Luscious and refreshing with chunks of frosty berries, this fruit- and EVOO-infused dessert is an ice cream lover’s dream. Ice cream isn’t complicated to make with a machine to churn it for you. If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, buying its ice cream attachment is a cost-effective option; the bowl, as with other brands that don’t have a built-it compressor, needs 24 hours in the freezer before use.

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 1 cup half-and-half
    • 3/4 cup sugar, divided use
    • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 cups mixed blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, plus more for garnish if desired 
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    Directions

    Step 1

    Make the ice cream base. Heat the heavy cream and half-and-half in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a simmer and forms a skin on the surface. Off the heat, whisk in 1/2 cup sugar, the salt, and the vanilla, whisking until the sugar is fully incorporated. Let the base come to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold (it can be made up to 3 days in advance).

    Step 2

    Just before you’re ready to make the ice cream, hull the strawberries and cut them into 1/2-inch dice. Add them to a bowl with the rest of the berries and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Toss well, then use a potato masher or pestle to mash the fruit just a bit. Fold in the olive oil and set aside. 

    Step 3

    Give the ice cream base a quick whisk, pour into your ice cream maker, and turn on the machine. Once the ice cream holds its shape, add in the berries with all their juices and finish churning. You can enjoy the ice cream as a soft serve after churning or, for a firmer consistency, transfer to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for 2 hours or more. Before serving, garnish portions with more berries if desired.

    Yields 8 or more servings 

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Ice cream? Yes, ice cream!

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Ice Cream? Yes, Ice Cream!

Mango sorbet

t’s too soon to call it a superfood, but a number of studies have found positive health links among people who eat real ice cream a couple of times a week. Scientists were so confounded by the results that they tried, at first, to dispel them. 

Long-term Harvard studies that analyzed data from nearly 190,000 people found a link between eating ice cream in moderation and a lower risk of diabetes along with better cardiovascular outcomes. One possible explanation is the metabolic effect of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), a complex, naturally occurring membrane that surrounds droplets of milk fat in real, whole dairy products. MFGM may help regulate cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, and support healthy gut and metabolic function.

Most recently, a Swedish study published in the journal Neurology found that higher intake of high-fat cream (and high-fat cheese) was associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia and that there were no such links between low-fat cheese, low-fat cream, and other dairy products. These results were based on the analysis of data from 27,670 participants in the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort.

Experts are careful to say that there is no hard-and-fast proof that ice cream causes better health because these findings come from “observational” studies, so they show a link rather than a direct cause-and-effect. One important thing to keep in mind is that to confer any benefits, the ice cream must be made from full-fat cream. If you’re not making your own, read the fine print on supermarket brands and avoid products labeled “frozen dairy dessert.” They contain oils and other additives and can’t be called ice cream.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Freezer Containers

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Freezer Containers

If you’ve made the switch from plastic to glass containers for refrigerated items, you’ll be happy to know that many brands can be used in the freezer, too, including products from Pyrex and Glasslock. Freezer-safe glass must be specially tempered to withstand fluctuations in temperature. Some can even go from freezer to microwave. Typically, the lids are plastic, so look for BPA-free designs. 

For Your Best Health: Coffee for Brain Health

For Your Best Health 

Coffee for Brain Health

Your morning coffee or tea could be quietly supporting brain function. A large, long-term study found that moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea was linked to an 18% lower risk of dementia and better cognitive performance over time. The benefits appeared strongest with 2 to 3 cups of coffee or 1 or 2 cups of tea daily—and held true even for people genetically predisposed to dementia.

Conducted by researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the study examined data from 131,821 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS). 

“When searching for possible dementia prevention tools, we thought something as prevalent as coffee may be a promising dietary intervention—and our unique access to high quality data through studies going on for more than 40 years allowed us to follow through on that idea,” said senior author Daniel Wang, MD, ScD, associate scientist with the Channing Division of Network Medicine in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, and an associate member at the Broad Institute. “While our results are encouraging, it’s important to remember that the effect size is small and there are lots of important ways to protect cognitive function as we age. Our study suggests that caffeinated coffee or tea consumption can be one piece of that puzzle.”

Coffee for brain health

Preventing dementia early is especially important because current treatments are limited and generally provide only modest benefits after symptoms begin. As a result, scientists are increasingly focusing on lifestyle factors, including diet, that may influence the development of cognitive decline. Coffee and tea contain compounds such as polyphenols and caffeine, which are thought to support brain health. These substances may help reduce inflammation and limit cellular damage, both of which are linked to cognitive decline. 

Previous research on coffee and dementia produced mixed results, often due to shorter study periods or limited data on long-term consumption patterns and different types of beverages. The NHS and HPFS datasets helped address these gaps. Participants were tracked for up to 43 years, with repeated evaluations of diet, dementia diagnoses, subjective cognitive concerns, and objective cognitive performance. Researchers analyzed how consumption of caffeinated coffee, tea, and decaffeinated coffee related to long-term brain health outcomes.

Among the more than 130,000 participants, 11,033 developed dementia over the course of the study. Individuals who consumed higher amounts of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of developing dementia compared with those who rarely or never drank it. They also reported lower rates of subjective cognitive decline (7.8% versus 9.5%) and performed better on certain objective cognitive tests.

“We also compared people with different genetic predispositions to developing dementia and saw the same results—meaning coffee or caffeine is likely equally beneficial for people with high and low genetic risk of developing dementia,” said lead author Yu Zhang, MBBS, MS, PhD student at Harvard Chan School and a research trainee at Mass General Brigham.

Similar patterns were observed among tea drinkers, while decaffeinated coffee did not show the same associations. This suggests that caffeine may be an important factor behind the observed brain-related benefits, although more research is needed to confirm the underlying mechanisms.

Fitness Flash Icon: Make Strength Your Superpower

Fitness Flash

Make Strength Your Superpower

Getting enough exercise is important for healthy aging. Now, new research suggests strength training plays a critical role. A large study led by researchers at the University at Buffalo (UB) found that older women with greater strength had a significantly lower risk of death, even after accounting for physical activity levels, cardiovascular fitness, and inflammation. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, were based on more than 5,000 women between the ages of 63 and 99. Researchers tracked participants for eight years and discovered that women with stronger grip strength and faster sit-to-stand chair test times were more likely to live longer.

“If you don’t have enough muscle strength to get up, it is going to be hard to do aerobic activities, such as walking, which is the most commonly reported recreational activity in US adults ages 65 and older,” says study lead author Michael LaMonte, PhD, research professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

“Muscular strength, in many ways, enables one to move their body from one point to another, particularly when moving against gravity,” Dr. LaMonte added. “Healthy aging probably is best pursued through adequate amounts of both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activities. When we no longer can get out of the chair and move around, we are in trouble.”

According to Dr. LaMonte, this is the largest study so far to examine how muscle strength relates to longevity in women over 60. Earlier large-scale studies often lacked detailed measures of physical activity, cardiovascular fitness, and inflammation, making it harder to isolate the role of muscular strength alone.

One of the study’s most notable findings was that women who did not meet current physical activity recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week still benefited from having greater muscle strength. Dr. LaMonte said this provides strong evidence that muscle-strengthening activities deserve greater emphasis in public health recommendations, particularly for older adults. “Because women ages 80 and older are the fastest-growing US age group, the importance of monitoring and maintaining muscular strength will have huge public health implications in the coming decades,” he said.

Muscle-building activities do not necessarily require expensive gym equipment or intense workouts. Researchers note that free weights, dumbbells, weight machines, and bodyweight exercises such as modified push-ups, wall presses, and knee bends can all help improve strength.

Dr. LaMonte pointed out that everyday household items can work as resistance tools. “Even using soup cans or books as a form of resistance provides stimulus to skeletal muscles and could be used by individuals for whom other options are not feasible.”

He advised that people talk to their healthcare provider before beginning a strength training program and that newcomers may benefit from guidance from a physical therapist or exercise specialist to help ensure safety and appropriate progress.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #270

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Cheesy Onion Wraps Recipe, Spotlight on Vidalia Onions, Storing Onions, Are You Getting Enough B12 and The Benefits of 30 Minutes of Weekly Exercise

Sandwich wraps are handy alternatives to bread but can lack flavor. My cheesy onion wraps are so good you’ll be tempted to eat them right out of the pan (be sure to let them cool off first!). This issue of the newsletter looks at new research on the all-important vitamin B12 and why many people could be short. And for those who have a hard time fitting in exercise, I’m including details of a report that suggests 30 minutes per week rather than per day can still be helpful.

Olive Toast

  • Olive Toast with Goat Cheese Olive Toast

    This makes a satisfying lunch and a great appetizer for your next get-together. I love the tangy, fruity taste of sumac, a spice that’s finally getting the attention it deserves. If you’ve got the grill on, drizzle olive oil on the bread and toast over the coals. 

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice  
    • 1 medium garlic clove, grated
    • 1/2 teaspoon sumac, such as Wild Sumac
    • 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns like Vine-Ripened Black Peppercorns
    • 1/8 teaspoon peperoncino (Italian crushed red pepper flakes)
    • 4 ounces each pitted Castelvetrano and Kalamata olives
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • 8 baguette or crusty whole-grain bread slices
    • 8 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
    • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

    Directions

    Step 1

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, sumac, salt, pepper, and peperoncino. Coarsely chop the olives and add to the bowl along with the parsley; let marinate for 30 minutes.

    Step 2

    When ready to assemble, toast the bread. Spread each slice with equal amounts of goat cheese, then top with the walnuts and the olive mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

    Yields 4 lunch or 8 appetizer servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Vidalia Onions

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Vidalia Onions

Grown in a limited area in Georgia, these onions are super sweet, thanks to their low sulfur content, which makes them less pungent and tear-inducing than other onion varieties. Their mild flavor profile means you can enjoy them raw, but they’re equally delicious cooked.

These onions are a good source of vitamin C, B6, and folate, potassium and manganese as well as quercetin, an antioxidant known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and fiber. They’re available from April to August; look for their trademark logo as well as their flatter shape. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Storing Onions

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Storing Onions

Vidalias have a high moisture content, and some experts recommend wrapping each one in a paper towel and storing them in the crisper drawer of your fridge. If you’re going to be using them in a few days, you can keep them on a rack in a cool, dry cabinet. But always keep any onions far away from potatoes because the ethylene gas produced by onions will cause your spuds to spoil prematurely. 

For Your Best Health: Are You Getting Enough B12?

For Your Best Health 

Are You Getting Enough B12?

Vitamin B12 is essential for helping your body make DNA, red blood cells, and healthy nerve tissue. While there are guidelines for daily intake, that amount may not actually be enough to protect the brain in later years. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) found that older adults with “normal” but lower levels of active B12 showed signs of slower thinking, delayed visual processing, and more damage to the brain’s white matter — the communication highways that help different brain regions work together. The findings raise the possibility that some people may be told their B12 status is fine while their brains are already showing early signs of strain.

For the study, published in Annals of Neurology, researchers enrolled 231 healthy older adults through the Brain Aging Network for Cognitive Health (BrANCH) study at UCSF. The participants had an average age of 71, and none had dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Their average blood B12 level was 414.8 pmol/L, far above the US minimum cutoff of 148 pmol/L. Instead of relying only on total B12, the researchers focused on the biologically active form of the vitamin, which may better reflect how much B12 the body can actually use. The study focused on older adults, a group that may be especially sensitive to lower B12 because absorption can become less efficient with age. Some medications, digestive conditions, and diets low in animal-based foods can also increase the risk of low B12.

After adjusting for age, sex, education, and cardiovascular risk factors, the team found that participants with lower active B12 had slower processing speed on cognitive tests. The effect was stronger with older age. They also had delayed responses to visual stimuli, pointing to slower visual processing and reduced brain signaling efficiency. 

MRI scans added another warning sign. Participants with lower active B12 had a higher volume of white matter lesions, which are areas of brain injury that have been linked to cognitive decline, dementia, and stroke risk. Even in this relatively healthy group, lower levels of active B12 were linked to slower thinking, slower visual processing, and more visible injury in the brain’s white matter. 

The work was led by senior author Ari J. Green, MD, of the UCSF Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Dr. Green and his colleagues said the results call attention to a possible weakness in current B12 guidelines. The minimum threshold used to define deficiency may not capture early functional changes in the nervous system.

“Previous studies that defined healthy amounts of B12 may have missed subtle functional manifestations of high or low levels that can affect people without causing overt symptoms,” said Dr. Green, noting that clear deficiencies of the vitamin are commonly associated with a type of anemia. “Revisiting the definition of B12 deficiency to incorporate functional biomarkers could lead to earlier intervention and prevention of cognitive decline.” 

The findings suggest that low but technically normal B12 could have broader effects than previously recognized. These levels could “impact cognition to a greater extent than what we previously thought and may affect a much larger proportion of the population than we realize,” said co-first author Alexandra Beaudry-Richard, MSc, who is currently completing her doctorate in research and medicine at the UCSF Department of Neurology and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa.

“In addition to redefining B12 deficiency, clinicians should consider supplementation in older patients with neurological symptoms even if their levels are within normal limits,” she said. “Ultimately, we need to invest in more research about the underlying biology of B12 insufficiency, since it may be a preventable cause of cognitive decline.”

The UCSF findings do not prove that lower active B12 directly causes cognitive decline, and they do not mean every older adult should begin taking supplements without medical guidance. They do, however, suggest that the current definition of B12 deficiency may be too blunt for brain health.

Fitness Flash Icon: The Benefits of 30 Minutes of Weekly Exercise 

Fitness Flash

The Benefits of 30 Minutes of Weekly Exercise 

Current health recommendations suggest exercising for at least 2.5 hours each week, with 5 hours considered even better. For many people, that target can seem overwhelming. Here’s music to their ears: According to researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), you may not need hours at the gym to boost your health after all. Studies from the past two decades suggest that just 30 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week can improve health. That works out to roughly 4.3 minutes per day or about 10 minutes every other day. 

The important part is intensity. The activity needs to be strenuous enough to leave you noticeably out of breath. If you use a heart rate monitor, researchers say your heart rate should reach about 85 percent of your maximum. However, special equipment is not necessary. A simple way to judge intensity is by how difficult it is to talk. You should still be able to speak in short sentences, but you should not be able to sing or carry on a continuous conversation comfortably.

“The biggest reported challenge regarding exercise is lack of time. But with intense, short workouts, this is no longer a valid excuse,” said Ulrik Wisløff, a professor at NTNU and head of CERG, a research group that studies the health effects of exercise. Researchers say even a small amount of high-intensity activity can improve cardiovascular fitness, which plays a major role in long-term health. “Cardiovascular fitness is the best indicator of current and future health. Good cardio fitness reduces the risk of over 30 lifestyle diseases as well as premature death by 40 to 50 percent,” explained Wisløff.

CERG first documented these effects in a 2006 study that analyzed health information from 60,000 people. Since then, additional large studies from Norway and other countries have reported similar findings.

Intense home exercise for heart health

Rather than doing one intense 30-minute workout each week, it’s best to spread out the sessions, said Wisløff. Blood pressure and blood sugar control improve for 24 to 48 hours after a workout that pushes you hard enough to become breathless for several minutes. Because of these short-term benefits, divide exercise across two to four days per week whenever possible.

That does not necessarily mean sprinting at full speed or using the highest resistance setting on an exercise bike. “Your own personal fitness level determines what gives you a high heart rate,” Wisløff said. “If you are not very fit, simply taking a brisk walk may be enough. Having said that, you need to walk fast enough that you get quite out of breath. You can then increase the intensity as your fitness improves. Short intervals are effective. For example, this could be bursts of 45 seconds with 15-second breaks. Or like in Tabata workouts, with intense 20-second intervals interspersed with 10-second breaks. Otherwise, 4×4 intervals are recognized as highly effective for increasing oxygen uptake.”

“Fitness is something you have to maintain. Cardio fitness and strength decline quickly when not maintained, especially as you get older,” said Atefe R. Tari, PhD, a researcher and head of CERG’s initiative on exercise and brain health. Strength training is also considered important, particularly for middle-aged and older adults. “We know that strength training is important, especially for middle-aged and older adults. There is limited research on how strength training affects lifespan, but a HUNT study exploring this is due to be published soon,” said Wisløff. “Physical health and brain health are closely linked, and cardio fitness is key here as well. Exercise leads to the formation of new brain cells,” added Dr. Tari.

Wisløff and Tari are now encouraging Norwegian health authorities to revise the country’s official exercise recommendations, arguing that exercise intensity should receive greater emphasis.

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