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The Olive Oil Hunter News #54

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe, Whole-Wheat Flour Power, Salt in Sweets, 9 Foods to Add to Your Diet Now and the Benefits of Walking

No muss, no fuss, and no mixer needed to whip up this week’s recipe—chocolate chip muffins that taste sinful but deliver all the benefits of olive oil. My secret ingredients are two types of flour (including whole-wheat flour_ you might not yet have in your pantry but will reach for time and again once you do. I’m also sharing new insights into fruits and veggies for brain health and why you don’t need to start at 10,000 steps a day to reap the benefits of walking.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Muffins

  • Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Muffins Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Muffins

    Extra virgin olive oil makes these muffins tender on the inside and crunchy on top. Using pastry flour creates a finer crumb, and the addition of white whole-wheat flour adds fiber and protein.

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup pastry flour or all-purpose flour
    • 2/3 cup white whole-wheat flour 
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder 
    • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 scant cup sugar 
    • 2 extra-large eggs 
    • 1 cup Greek yogurt 
    • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the muffin tin 
    • 1/3 cup milk 
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 12 ounces dark chocolate chips or chunks

    Directions

    Step 1

    Heat your oven to 350ºF. Grease a 12-muffin tin (including the spaces between the cups) with a small amount of olive oil.

    Step 2

    In a very large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine.

    Step 3

    In another large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until well incorporated, and then whisk in the yogurt, followed by the olive oil, milk, and vanilla extract.

    Step 4

    Slowly pour it into the flour mixture, folding with a spatula as you go until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated. Add the chips and continue folding until you no longer see any traces of flour. 

    Step 5

    Use a large ice cream scoop to fill the muffin cups just about to the top (the muffins will nicely rise over the rims as they bake).

    Step 6

    Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven—they’re done when the tip of a dinner knife inserted into the center of 2 or 3 muffins comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack before turning out the muffins.

    Yields 12 oversized muffins

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Red Pepper Flakes

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Whole-Wheat Flour Power

I’m always looking for ways to “healthify” recipes, especially sweets. For instance, one of the great benefits of olive oil in place of butter is that you drastically cut the saturated fat. Another effortless swap is replacing some of the white flour in baked goods with whole-wheat flour, but not the standard type, which can make the finished food too dense. Instead, choose white whole-wheat flour made from white wheat, or whole-wheat pastry flour made from red wheat. Both are great, though I prefer white whole-wheat flour for sweeter foods, such as cakes and muffins, and whole-wheat pastry flour for more savory rolls and breads. As a rule of thumb, you can use either in place of 25% of a recipe’s all-purpose white flour without noticing a taste difference. The experts at the King Arthur Baking Company suggest that you can go as high as 50% with the white whole-wheat flour without adjusting liquids or rising agents, but going to that level with whole-wheat pastry flour may require tweaking. Experiment to see what tastes best to you.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Grilling with Flavored Wood Chips

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Salt in Sweets ​

Since salt often gets a bad rap, you might wonder whether you really have to include it in baked goods. The answer is yes, because it brings out the flavor of other ingredients, including chocolate. When you do the math, one teaspoon, or even two, spread out over a dozen portions of a recipe means just a few grains per serving. In terms of sources of excess sodium, packaged and processed foods are the ones to watch out for. For the best results in home cooking, always use kosher or coarse sea salt.

For Your Best Health: Olive Oil and Brain Function

For Your Best Health

Over the Rainbow: 9 Foods to Add Now ​

Flavonoids are among the most important phytochemicals—nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. It’s actually the umbrella term for many different types of plant nutrients. Anthocyanins, for instance, are well known for giving berries their bright hues. You often hear the advice to “eat a rainbow” because each fruit and veggie has its own unique mix of flavonoids, and you want to get as wide a variety as possible. Flavonoids are a great source of antioxidants, renowned for their ability to fight off the aging effects of oxidative stress and boost overall health. A major study done at Harvard and published in Neurology has found another reason to chow down on fruits and veggies. The researchers discovered an important link between eating lots of flavonoid-rich foods and lowering the odds of subjective cognitive decline (SCD)—how much memory loss or sense of confusion you feel in your daily life.

They looked at data from nearly 50,000 women and 28,000 men over roughly 20 years. Those who had the most flavonoids in their diet lowered their odds of SCD the most compared to those who had the least, they reported. Three types of flavonoids in particular—flavones, flavanones, and anthocyanins—had the most impact. Which fruits and vegetables did the participants eat most? Strawberries, blueberries, oranges, grapefruits (whole or juiced), apples, pears, celery, peppers, and bananas. Onions, peaches, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, and potatoes also ranked high. Another key finding is that it’s never too early to start enjoying these foods on a regular basis—think of it as making deposits in the bank of brain health.

Fitness Flash Icon

Fitness Flash

Step to It ​

There are many ways to get and stay fit, and walking—considered a light-intensity physical activity, or LIPA—remains one of the easiest. Though we often hear that 10,000 steps a day is the ultimate goal, it may not be the right goal for you, according to Benjamin Washburn, MD, of the University of Missouri, and Joseph Ihm, MD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, authors of the article “Using Step Counts to Prescribe Physical Activity: What Is the Optimal Dose?” published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Current Sports Medicine Reports. In their report, based on analyzing extensive data, and in a blog post on the topic, they detailed why a target step count should be personalized to each person’s current activity level and needs.

They wrote that “significant health benefits can occur at activity levels below 10,000 daily steps, especially if individuals increase their baseline activity by at least 1,000 steps per day. Several studies demonstrate that near-maximal or maximal health benefits can be achieved by engaging in predominantly LIPA totaling approximately 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day…At the lower end of the activity level spectrum, reaching a minimum of about 4,000 steps per day may be beneficial for many groups if they are at or below this level of activity at baseline.” They added that this may be a helpful goal for older people looking to start a walking program.

The concept of gaining more benefits with every additional 1,000 daily steps also applies to people already getting 10,000 per day. They pointed out that going beyond the weekly minimums set in physical fitness guidelines will likely keep you healthier than someone who achieves a lower level of activity. But “for some, a lower level of activity will still be better than being less active,” they stated.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #53

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Chilean Empanadas de Pino Recipe, Spotlight on Grinding Your Own Beef, How to Manage Stress and a Link Between Exercise and Brain Health

I love empanadas (if I’m being honest, I love all kinds of meat pies!), but they can seem daunting to make at home. This week’s recipe breaks it down for you. One step that makes every ground meat dish better is grinding the meat yourself, and it’s a snap with a countertop appliance you might already have…as long as you follow one simple step. I’m also sharing two important health discoveries—a creative way to manage stress and a newfound benefit of exercise that’s the latest example of the mind-body link. 

CHILEAN EMPANADAS DE PINO

  • Chilean Empanadas de Pino Chilean Empanadas De Pino

    Stuffed meat pies are part of nearly every culture. This very popular Chilean version builds on the pino—sauteed and beautifully seasoned ground beef—by adding a bounty of other flavors to the filling. 

    Ingredients

    For the dough:

    • 3-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and kept chilled
    • 1-1/4 cups ice water 

    For the filling:

    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
    • 3/4 pound of ground beef, preferably chuck 
    • 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
    • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    For the assembly:

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    • 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise 
    • 12 brined large green or black olives, pitted 
    • 3/4 cup golden or sultana raisins
    • 1 egg 
    • 1 tablespoon of water

    Directions

    Step 1

    Make the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt just until combined. Add the chilled butter and pulse again until the butter bits are about the size of peas—be careful not to overprocess. 

    Step 2

    Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, then add the water, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring and pressing it into the flour mixture with a spatula until you get a cohesive dough (you may not need all the water). 

    Step 3

    Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and divide into 12 portions. Form each portion into a ball, place the balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour for easier rolling. 

    Step 4

    Prepare the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic, beef, and onion and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the spices, hot sauce, and salt and pepper and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

    Step 5

    Assemble the empanadas: Set out two large baking sheets. Working on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin, roll one of the dough balls into a 6- or 7-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. 

    Step 6

    Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture in the lower half of the round and arrange an olive, an egg quarter, and a tablespoon of raisins on top of the meat. Fold the upper half of the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape. To seal it, fold up the edge along the half-moon by about 3/4 inch and crimp all along the way with the tines of a fork for a braided look. Use a large spatula to transfer the empanada to one of the baking sheets. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. 

    Step 7

    Bake the empanadas: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Make an egg wash by breaking the egg into a small bowl and whisk it thoroughly with the tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake on two racks in the oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating the pans at the halfway mark for even browning. 

    Makes 12 — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Grinding Your Own Beef

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Grinding Your Own Beef

There’s no better way to elevate ground meat than to grind your own, and it’s not complicated. If you’ve got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, invest in the grinder attachment (the kit also includes stuffer tubes for making your own sausages!). If you’ve got a food processor, you can simply use the steel blade—it will have a denser texture because it’s mincing rather than grinding.

For the best grind, everything needs to be icy-cold. Prep your meat by cutting it into 1-inch cubes, spreading them out on a baking sheet, covering with wrap, and popping in the freezer for 15 minutes along with your grinder or processor blade. For the grinder attachment, follow manufacturer instructions. For the processor, use the pulse button for the best control, so you don’t end up with a mash instead of a mince.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Choosing and Using a Pastry Brush

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Choosing and Using a Pastry Brush

Pastry brushes might seem like a luxury, but a simple natural boar-bristle brush from a company like Ateco is only a few dollars, and the golden finish from painting an egg wash on pastry before baking is more than worth it. Silicone brushes are easier to clean (they can go right in the dishwasher), but a thin egg wash doesn’t coat their bristles well—save silicone for a thicker application, like brushing BBQ sauce on ribs. To clean a natural bristle brush, rinse it under warm water, rub a small amount of dish detergent into the bristles, and rinse again. Blot the bristles with paper towels and let the brush air dry, flat, on a clean dish towel. When the bristles start falling out or if the brush develops any odors, it’s time to replace it. 

For Your Best Health: Making Stress Work for You

For Your Best Health

Making Stress Work for You

For years, Jeremy Jamieson, PhD, associate professor of psychology and the principal investigator at the University of Rochester’s Social Stress Lab, has been developing ways to rethink how people can deal with stress. Because stress is a normal part of life, it’s better to change how you think about it than to ignore it. For his latest study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, college students were taught to see stress as a positive—a tool rather than an obstacle. As a result, they lowered their anxiety levels, scored higher on tests, and responded to academic challenges in a healthier way. 

“We use a type of ‘saying is believing’ approach to learn about the adaptive benefits of stress,” said Dr. Jamieson. For instance, tell yourself that your sweaty palms and racing heart are responses that can energize you to perform well. “Stress reappraisal is not aimed at eliminating or dampening stress,” he explained. “It does not encourage relaxation, but instead focuses on changing the type of stress response: If we believe we have sufficient resources to address the demands we’re presented with—it doesn’t matter if the demands are high—if we think we can handle them, our body is going to respond with the challenge response, which means stress is seen as a challenge, rather than a threat.” Try it and see for yourself!

Fitness Flash: A Link Between Exercise and Brain Health

Fitness Flash

A Link Between Exercise and Brain Health

A group of scientists led by Bruce M. Spiegelman, PhD, the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, has just released its latest research on irisin, a hormone produced by muscles during exercise and discovered by Dr. Spiegelman in 2012. After research on human brains found that irisin, named for the Greek messenger goddess Iris, was absent in people who had died of Alzheimer’s disease but was present in others, the team wanted to explore how the hormone might be involved in brain health. 

The most recent study, published in Nature Metabolism, used a variety of lab experiments involving mice to show that irisin can cross the blood-brain barrier and improve cognition—thinking and memory—in both healthy animals and those with a rodent version of Alzheimer’s. These findings suggest that the simple act of exercising could change the course of brain function as we age and lower dementia risk. While it will take research involving humans to learn what types and frequency of exercise are best, these results already suggest that exercise can be as good for your brain as we know it to be for your heart, which should motivate all of us to get moving.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #52

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Barramundi a la Vinaigrette with Quick-Pickled Red Onions Recipe, Spotlight on Leafy Greens, Choosing Whole Fish and Tailoring Exercise Intensity to Goals

Salads easily go from side dish to main dish when you add a protein. Not just for lunch, they can be a healthy and delicious dinner, as you’ll see with this week’s recipe. Dark leafy greens deliver amazing amounts of nutrients, and the research I’m sharing will make you want to enjoy them at every meal. There’s also detail on the latest from the Framingham Heart Study, which now spans three generations of participants and drills down on the relationship between fitness intensity and physical fitness—the findings should encourage everyone to keep moving.

BARRAMUNDI À LA VINAIGRETTE WITH QUICK-PICKLED RED ONIONS

  • Barramundi fillet a la Vinaigrette Barramundi a la Vinaigrette

    One of the most pleasurable evenings I ever spent in Australia was cooking dinner in the kitchen of food entrepreneur Melissa Wong and her husband, Robert. A simple vinaigrette, whipped up in minutes and serving as a salad dressing, a marinade, and a sauce, is the unifying factor in this dish. If you can’t find barramundi—a popular fish down under—halibut, cod, or another mild white fish is equally delicious. The quick-pickled red onions are a great condiment for this and many other dishes.

    Ingredients

    For the pickled onions:

    • 1 medium red onion
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon sugar 
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

    For the vinaigrette:

    • Juice and zest of a lemon
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon honey
    • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 
    • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as dill, flat-leaf parsley, and oregano

    For the main dish:

    • 4 barramundi fillets, each 6 to 8 ounces
    • 4 loosely packed cups of baby arugula, spinach, or mixed greens 
    • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 2 Persian cucumbers, diced
    • 1 lemon, quartered

    Directions

    Step 1

    Make the pickled onions: Thinly slice the red onion into rings and place them in a pint canning jar. Bring the water and apple cider vinegar to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the sugar and salt and pour the liquid over the onions. Let cool to room temperature before serving. 

    Step 2

    Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Whisk until the salt and honey dissolve. Slowly add the olive oil, continuously whisking until the vinaigrette emulsifies. Stir in the minced herbs. Taste the vinaigrette, adding more vinegar or salt and pepper as desired. Pour 2/3 of the vinaigrette into a separate container and set aside.

    Step 3

    Place the fish fillets on a rimmed sheet pan and lightly brush both sides with the 1/3 of the vinaigrette from the mixing bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 

    Step 4

    Toss the greens, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved vinaigrette to lightly coat and divide among 4 plates. Top with equal amounts of the pickled onions. 

    Step 5

    Light a grill or preheat a well-oiled stovetop grill pan to medium-high. Arrange the fillets, skin side down, on a well-oiled grill grate or in the preheated pan. Cook until the edges begin to turn opaque, 2 to 3 minutes for thin fillets and 4 to 5 minutes for thicker fillets. Carefully turn and cook the other side until the fish is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more, taking care not to overcook them. Arrange a fillet on each of the prepared plates. Drizzle with the reserved vinaigrette and garnish each plate with a lemon quarter. 

    Yields 4 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Americans and Potatoes

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Great Greens

When it comes to nutrition, dark green leafy vegetables are powerhouses. According to the USDA, spinach, kale, collards, mustard and turnip greens, chard, and other dark salad greens deliver vitamins A, C, E, and K and a high amount of the B vitamin folate; minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium; and antioxidants that protect cells and help fight cancer (check out the amazing new research on spinach below). They’re also a great way to fill up because they’re so low in calories.

Besides salads, get more greens into your diet by sautéing them with some chopped garlic in extra virgin olive oil and cutting them into ribbons to add to sandwiches, soups and stews, stir-fries, and omelets.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Grapefruit Knife

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Choosing Whole Fish

Unless you buy flash-frozen fillets, you might opt for whole fish that you can scrutinize for freshness and then ask the fishmonger to fillet for you. That’s because it’s easier to see the signs of freshness in a whole fish: bright and clear eyes (not sunken), bright-red gills (not rusty red), scales with a sheen, firm flesh that springs back when you press it, and the scent of the ocean—nothing more. If you do buy fillets, they should be uniform in color, with no discoloration or darkening on the flesh and no dryness along the edges. If marked “previously frozen,” they should have been defrosted that day.

For Your Best Health: Brain Health

For Your Best Health

Spinach and Colon Cancer Prevention

The latest research from a Texas A&M University team of scientists, published in the journal Gut Microbes, has uncovered more detail about the relationship between spinach, gut health, genes, and colon cancer, which is the fourth-most common cancer and second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. 

The team’s previous animal-based studies showed that eating green vegetables and fiber reduces the risk of colon cancer by as much as half and that spinach in particular is very effective in preventing polyps, growths that can develop into cancer. Those earlier findings prompted them to look at how spinach might benefit people genetically at risk for colon cancer from the rare hereditary disease familial adenomatous polyposis, which causes hundreds or even thousands of growths in the colon from a very young age. 

Using lab animals, the scientists were able to show that eating spinach led to significant tumor-fighting activity in the colon and small intestine. Spinach boosted diversity in the gut microbiome, led to changes in gene expression to help prevent cancer, and raised levels of healthful anti-inflammatory fatty acids.

The next step for the team is to replicate the study on people. But the takeaway is universal and immediate: “We believe eating spinach can also be protective for people who do not have familial adenomatous polyposis,” said principal investigator Roderick Dashwood, PhD, director of the Center for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention at the Texas A&M University Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology. When to start? “The sooner the better. You shouldn’t wait until polyps arise in order to start to do these sorts of preventive things.”

Fitness Flash: The Link Between Exercise and Sleep

Fitness Flash

Tailoring Exercise Intensity to Goals

We know that exercise promotes good health. Now a new study involving the third generation of participants in the famed Framingham Heart Study and published in the European Heart Journal offers insights into the connection between physical activity and physical fitness.

Cardiologist, assistant professor, and clinician-investigator Matthew Nayor, MD, MPH, and his team at the Boston University School of Medicine found more evidence that exercise is vital to undo the hazards of a sedentary lifestyle across the board and that people who either take higher-than-average steps per day or do moderate-to-vigorous physical activity have higher-than-average fitness levels. That means that for people who can’t do more intense forms of exercise, a lot of walking is very helpful, even if you do it slowly.

To find out your exercise pace, you can easily time yourself:

  • 60-99 steps per minute is low
  • 100-129 steps per minute is moderate 
  • 130 or more steps per minute is vigorous

If your goal is to increase your level of fitness, the most efficient way is with higher amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The study found that exercise at this intensity is more than three times more efficient than walking at a relatively slow pace.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #51

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Tuna and White Bean Salad Recipe, The Benefits of Olive Oil for Brain Health and The Compound that Makes Extra Virgin Olive Oil Brain-Friendly

As a reader of The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter, you know that I’m laser-focused on bringing you the most delicious recipes featuring extra virgin olive oil and other healthy ingredients, like this week’s tuna and white bean salad. I’m also always excited to share insights into the health benefits of olive oil, and every year we learn more about why it belongs in our diet.

In this issue, the health benefit of olive oil I’m highlighting is brain health, with research showing that extra virgin olive oil as part of the Mediterranean diet may help stave off cognitive decline—when you don’t feel as sharp as you once did and have trouble with memory and thinking—as well as forms of dementia.

TUNA AND WHITE BEAN SALAD

  • Calabrian Pumpkin Soup with Homemade Croutons Calabrian Pumpkin Soup

    Simple but sublime is the pumpkin soup my Merry Band of Tasters and I were served when visiting the Librandi family, one of Calabria’s outstanding olive oil producers. “Mama” Librandi shared the recipe with me.

    Ingredients

    • 1 3-pound pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, with seeds and membranes removed 
    • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
    • 2 tablespoons water 
    • Sea salt
    • Croutons for garnish (see the “Healthy Ingredient Spotlight” below) 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Using a sturdy knife, cut the pumpkin or butternut squash into roughly 1.5” cubes. Do the same with the potatoes.

    Step 2

    In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, potatoes, the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender—50 to 60 minutes.

    Step 3

    Transfer to a blender jar and purée until smooth (don’t fill the blender more than half full—work in batches if necessary). Salt to taste.

    Step 4

    Divide the soup between warmed soup bowls. Drizzle generously with additional olive oil, and garnish with croutons. 

    Yields 6 appetizer or 4 main course servings

EVOO and Brain Health

The Benefits of Olive Oil for Brain Health

How it works within the Mediterranean diet

The research: “The Effect of Mediterranean Diet on Cognitive Functions in the Elderly Population” Nutrients, June 2021.

Scientists looked at a group of studies on the Mediterranean diet (“MedDiet”) spanning the previous five years in order to analyze its effects on people age 55 and up with or without cognitive impairments. They wrote: “The results show that the higher adherence to MedDiet proves to have a better effect on global cognitive performance of older people…Overall, the strength of the findings…is that the adherence to MedDiet improves memory of both cognitively unimpaired and impaired older people.” 

What’s more, the authors pointed out that the “enrichment of MedDiet with a higher dosage of some food…such as extra-virgin olive oil, might have a more significant impact on the improvement of cognitive performance among seniors than just MedDiet alone.” 

They highlight the flavonoids found in extra virgin olive oil and point out that one in particular, secoiridoid oleuropein, might be the reason that olive oil seems to protect the brain.

EVOO and Brain Health

Now That’s a Mouthful!!

The compound that makes extra virgin olive oil brain-friendly

Research: “Effect of an Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Intake on the Delay of Cognitive Decline: Role of Secoiridoid Oleuropein?” Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 2019.

This is one of the studies that the researchers above looked at. Secoiridoid oleuropein might be nearly impossible to pronounce, but it’s one of its most powerful and abundant phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). A specific type called oleuropein-aglycone occurs during the production of EVOO, but not with just any production. According to this study, “EVOO is the best quality oil produced by mechanical pressing of ripe olives. Through this process, it is possible to retain most of the components with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Any industrial processing of olive oil (extraction and refining) makes it a lower quality oil. Comparing EVOO with refined olive oil, the refined form is less protective of oxidative lipid damage, free radical formation, and inflammatory activity. Oleuropein-aglycone…is the chief phenolic substance of extra virgin olive oil, and the neuroprotective effect is thought to be associated with it.” 

The study authors pointed out that while most research on the brain benefits of extra virgin olive oil has been done in the lab, two randomized controlled trials—the gold standard for research—involved people. For a yearlong Italian study of 110 healthy elderly subjects, everyone followed the Mediterranean diet, but half the participants included additional EVOO, and they were the ones who had higher short-term improvement of cognitive function scores.

In a Spanish study that lasted for 6.5 years, those who followed an EVOO-rich Mediterranean diet had better cognitive function and less MCI or mild cognitive impairment (early signs of cognitive decline) than those who didn’t. As the researchers wrote, “Thus, the neuroprotective effect against cognitive decline was confirmed.”

What I found really interesting is their citing advice to start reaping extra virgin olive oil’s benefits early in life: “As general recommendations state, the protective effect of virgin olive oil can be most important in the first decades of life, which suggests that the health benefit of virgin olive oil intake should start before puberty and [be] maintained through life.” 

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