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Olive Oil Hunter News #259

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Asparagus Milanese Style Recipe, Spotlight on Asparagus, When to “Close” the Kitchen for the Night and Exercising to Avoid Alzheimer’s

A sure sign of spring is the bundles of asparagus available at farmers’ markets and the produce aisle at your grocery store. I’m sharing a delicious way to enjoy them with a luscious one-pan prep. This issue’s research news offers food for thought: first, the advantages of not eating in the hours before bed for metabolic health and second, the benefits of exercise for brain health. 

Asparagus in the Milanese Style

  • Asparagus Milanese Style Asparagus in the Milanese Style

    Asparagus is so symbolic of spring. And while a simple dish like marinated asparagus is a great way to enjoy it, this recipe turns a side into a satisfying meal for breakfast, brunch, or even a light dinner. For a heartier meal, double the eggs. I especially love the richness of sautéing the spears in EVOO as well as some butter. 

    Ingredients

    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, plus more for drizzling
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed (see Quick Kitchen Nugget in newsletter)
    • Coarse sea salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more to garnish
    • 2 large eggs

    Directions

    Step 1

    Heat a large frying pan or skillet until hot, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter. Sauté the asparagus, rotating the spears frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid to steam them for 2 minutes more. Divide the spears between two plates and top with equal amounts of grated cheese.

    Step 2

    Reheat the pan to medium-high, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the eggs, one at a time, keeping them as separate as possible—you can crack them right into the pan or into a small bowl, then pour into the pan.

    Step 3

    Cook the eggs for 2 minutes until the whites turn opaque and develop crisp, brown edges. Use an offset spatula to center an egg over the asparagus on each plate. Spoon the olive oil from the pan over the top, drizzle with more olive oil, and sprinkle on more cheese as desired. Serve immediately. 

    Serves 2

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Asparagus

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Choosing Asparagus

For decades, a debate has raged over what’s tastier, thin or thick asparagus. Surprisingly, according to agricultural experts at Penn State, spears that are larger than half an inch in diameter are more tender and higher in soluble fiber and vitamins than thinner spears. What’s more, marketing thin asparagus as “gourmet” stemmed from the fact that farmers wanted to sell their crops after two rather than three years to stimulate the plant to produce spears faster. At the same time, the shift prompted professional chefs to prefer the visual appeal of thinner spears. Of course, the most important factor is freshness—whichever you choose, look for tips that are tightly closed and stems that are not shriveled. Because asparagus loses moisture fast, aim to use it the day you buy it.

Fresh Asparagus
Quick Kitchen Nugget: Prepping Asparagus

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Prepping Asparagus

Many recipes call for a rack to be placed in the roasting pan to elevate a leg of lamb, turkey, or rib roast, to name a few examples. This allows the oven’s heat to reach (and brown) the entire surface of the food. Clean up can be made easier by first lining the roasting pan with foil, and the rack prevents the meat from touching the foil while it cooks. Putting about an inch of water in the bottom of the pan is done to create steam, which keeps the meat moist and prevents the drippings from burning and negatively affecting the taste of the meat.

For Your Best Health: When to “Close” the Kitchen for the Night

For Your Best Health 

When to “Close” the Kitchen for the Night

Woman choosing snack from fridge at night

A simple shift in your evening routine may give your heart a measurable boost. Researchers at Northwestern Medicine explored whether timing an overnight fast to match a person’s natural sleep-wake cycle could improve heart and metabolic health. The circadian rhythm plays a central role in regulating cardiovascular and metabolic function. For the study, participants did not reduce calories. The focus was entirely on adjusting when they ate. 

The scientists found that middle-aged and older adults at elevated risk for cardiometabolic disease benefited from extending their overnight fasting window by roughly two hours and avoiding food and dimming their lights for three hours before going to sleep. These changes led to measurable improvements in heart and metabolic markers during sleep and throughout the following day.

“Timing our fasting window to work with the body’s natural wake-sleep rhythms can improve the coordination between the heart, metabolism, and sleep, all of which work together to protect cardiovascular health,” said first author Daniela Grimaldi, PhD, research associate professor of neurology in the division of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

“It’s not only how much and what you eat, but also when you eat relative to sleep that is important for the physiological benefits of time-restricted eating,” said corresponding author Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine and chief of sleep medicine in the department of neurology at Feinberg.

Time-restricted eating has grown in popularity because studies suggest it can improve cardiometabolic markers and sometimes match the benefits of traditional calorie-restricted diets. However, most research has concentrated on how long people fast rather than how well that fasting window aligns with sleep timing, which is crucial for metabolic regulation.

With nearly 90% adherence in this trial, the researchers believe anchoring time-restricted eating to the sleep period may be a realistic and accessible non-pharmacological approach, especially for middle-aged and older adults who face higher cardiometabolic risk. The team plans to refine this protocol and expand testing in larger multicenter trials.

Fitness Flash Icon: Exercising to Avoid Alzheimer’s

Fitness Flash

Exercising to Avoid Alzheimer’s

Researchers at UC San Francisco have identified a biological process that may explain why exercise sharpens thinking and memory. The discovery points to a surprising body-to-brain pathway that could inspire new Alzheimer’s disease therapies. 

As people grow older, the blood-brain barrier becomes more fragile. This tightly packed network of blood vessels normally shields the brain from harmful substances circulating in the bloodstream. Over time, however, it can become leaky, allowing damaging compounds to enter brain tissue. The result is inflammation, which is linked to cognitive decline and is commonly seen in disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers found that physical activity prompts the liver to release an enzyme called GPLD1. GPLD1 removes a harmful protein responsible for the blood-brain barrier becoming leaky with age, strengthening the brain’s built-in defense system, and helping protect it from age-related damage. Research using older mice showed that dialing down this protein reduced inflammation and improved memory. 

This study builds on the research team’s early discovery that mice that exercised produced higher levels of GPLD1 in their livers. GPLD1 appeared to rejuvenate the brain, but there was a mystery. The enzyme itself cannot cross into the brain, leaving scientists unsure how it delivered its cognitive benefits. The new research provides an answer. It turns out that GPLD1 influences another protein known as TNAP. As mice age, TNAP builds up in the cells that form the blood-brain barrier. This buildup weakens the barrier and increases leakiness. When mice exercise and their livers release GPLD1 into the bloodstream, the enzyme travels to the blood vessels surrounding the brain and removes TNAP from the surface of those cells, helping restore the barrier’s integrity.

“This discovery shows just how relevant the body is for understanding how the brain declines with age,” said Saul Villeda, PhD, associate director of the UCSF Bakar Aging Research Institute and senior author of the paper.

The findings suggest that developing medications capable of trimming proteins such as TNAP could offer a new strategy to restore the blood-brain barrier, even after it has been weakened by aging. “We’re uncovering biology that Alzheimer’s research has largely overlooked,” Dr. Villeda said. “It may open new therapeutic possibilities beyond the traditional strategies that focus almost exclusively on the brain.”

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Mediterranean Diet Can Reduce Risk of Both Stroke Types in Women

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Stroke ranks as the second-leading cause of death worldwide as well as the third-leading cause of death and disability combined.1 Women have a greater lifetime risk of stroke than men—in part because women live longer, on average, than men do, and because stroke risk in women rises sharply after menopause.2

A substantial body of evidence shows that the Mediterranean Diet (MeDi) reduces stroke risk in both women and men, but little has been published on the MeDi’s effects by stroke type in women.3 In
the US, about 80% of strokes are ischemic—a clot blocks blood flow to or within the brain—and the remainder are hemorrhagic, in which a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds.4

The journal Neurology Open Access recently published an analysis of data from the California Teachers Study (CTS), which followed more than 130,000 women for more than 25 years, starting in 1995.3 This analysis excluded those with a history of stroke or with missing dietary data, for a total cohort of 105,614 women. Average age at the study’s outset was 52.3

At the start of the study, participants answered a validated dietary questionnaire that asked how often they consumed 103 food and beverage items/groups during the previous year, and in what quantities
(small, medium, large serving size). Responses were converted to a score that reflected adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MeDi), ranging from 0 to 9. Participants were stratified by MeDi scores into low (0–2), moderate (3–5), and high (6–9) MeDi adherence groups: 12.5% low, 57.5% moderate, 30% high.3

MeDi is typically characterized by high intake of fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, with olive oil as the primary source of fat; a moderate intake of fish; and minimal intake of meat and dairy products. Some versions of the MeDi include moderate alcohol consumption.3

During the 25 years of follow-up, the CTS study population experienced a total of 4,083 stroke events: 3,358 ischemic and 725 hemorrhagic.3

Participants with high adherence to the MeDi had a 23% lower overall stroke risk compared with the low-adherence group. When results were adjusted for patient characteristics, including smoking, BMI, and demographics, overall stroke risk was still reduced by 18% with high adherence to the MeDi. Even a one-unit increase in MeDi adherence was associated with a significant decrease in stroke risk.3

When analyzed by stroke subtypes, higher adherence to the MeDi resulted in a significant decrease
in stroke risk for ischemic stroke as well as for hemorrhagic stroke. This effect was seen across premenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal women in the study, including participants taking hormone treatment.3

This study, with strengths including a large population, long-range follow-up, and analysis by stroke subtype, adds to the body of evidence of the preventative health benefits of the MeDi and helps identify dietary choices that can help reduce stroke risk in women.3

References: 1. Feigin VL, Brainin M, Norrving B, et al. World Stroke Organization (WSO): Global stroke fact sheet 2022 [published correction appears in Int J Stroke. 2022;17(4):478. doi:10.1177/17474930221080343]. Int J Stroke. 2022;17(1):18–29. 2. Rexrode KM, Madsen TE, Yu, AYX, Carcel C, Lichtman JH, Miller EC. The impact of sex and gender on stroke. Circulation Res. 2022;130(4):512-528. 3. Sherzai AZ, Cuble EL, Spielfogel ES, et al. Mediterranean diet and the risk of stroke subtypes in women. Neurol Open Access. 2026;2:e000062. 4. Prabhakaran S, Gonzales NR, Zachrison KS, et al. 2026 guideline for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Stroke. 2026; doi:10.1161/STR.0000000000000513. Online ahead of print.

Olive Oil Hunter #247

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Winter Salad Recipe, Spotlight on Homemade Vinaigrettes, Prepping Greens, A New Benefit of Vitamin D, and Aerobics for Knee arthritis

Salads aren’t just for summer, and if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to eat more fruits and veggies, this winter greens recipe fits the bill. I’ve dressed it with a sweet-tart vinaigrette that you can use with a variety of foods for lighter eating. I’m also sharing two new important findings: how vitamin D can help people avoid a second heart attack and a surprising way to manage knee arthritis.

Winter Salad

  • Winter Pear Salad Winter Salad

    Using sweet and tart vinegars adds complexity to this vinaigrette, which is a delicious foil for the slightly bitter greens and sweet pears.

    Ingredients

    For Vinaigrette:

    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, such as Austrian Red Wine Vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar of Modena, such as Condimento Barili Exclusivi
    • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1/2 tablespoon honey
    • 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
    • 1/2 garlic clove, minced 
    • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

    For the Salad:

    • 1/2 cup hazelnuts or walnut halves
    • 4 to 6 cups baby spinach, baby kale, escarole, or other winter greens, rinsed and dried
    • 2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
    • Block of Parmigiano-Reggiano or 2 ounces mild blue cheese

    Directions

    Step 1

    Make the vinaigrette: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegars, mustard, honey, salt, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.

    Step 2

    Make the salad: Heat a small sauté pan. When hot, add the nuts and toast for 2 minutes until they become fragrant, tossing frequently; set aside.

    Step 3

    Divide the greens among 4 salad plates and top with equal amounts of pear slices and nuts. If using Parmigiano-Reggiano, use a cheese plane to make long shavings over each salad. If using blue cheese, crumble it. Drizzle a spoonful of vinaigrette over each salad and pass the rest on the side.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Homemade Vinaigrettes

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Homemade Vinaigrettes

Homemade Vinaigrette

It’s no secret that most bottled dressings are loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients, and poor- quality oil. On the other hand, it’s so easy to make your own with just a few quality ingredients. Vinaigrettes can be made with a whisk, but using a blender or mini food processor can make fast work of it, especially if some ingredients need to be chopped or minced. As a general rule, you can pulse all the ingredients except the olive oil for a few seconds—let the machine mince any herbs, garlic, or shallots for you. Then with the machine still running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Vinaigrette will keep for up to a week in the fridge; shake well or whisk as needed before using.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Prepping Greens

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Prepping Greens

To maximize taste when making salads, prep your greens by rinsing and drying them in a salad spinner or with an absorbent kitchen towel—dressing coats them better when they’re dry and won’t be diluted by water clinging to the leaves. Rather than simply pouring vinaigrette over your salad, mix it in with two forks or tongs to really dress the greens. Also, keep in mind that vinaigrettes aren’t just for salads—drizzle them over roasted vegetables, grains, and cold meats. 

For Your Best Health: A New Benefit of Vitamin D

For Your Best Health 

A New Benefit of Vitamin D

In a large randomized clinical trial, researchers from Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City found that managing the vitamin D levels of people who experienced a heart attack through a “target-to-treat” approach, with blood levels monitored and dosages adjusted to reach an optimal range, cut the likelihood of a second heart attack by 50%. The findings were presented on Nov. 9 at the 2025 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

According to researchers, the results carry global importance, as between one-half and two-thirds of people worldwide have low levels of vitamin D. In the past, most individuals received sufficient vitamin D through sunlight exposure. Today, with lifestyle changes and medical advice aimed at reducing skin cancer risk, people spend less time in the sun and must rely more on dietary supplements such as vitamin D3 to maintain healthy levels.

Low vitamin D levels have long been linked to poor cardiovascular outcomes in observational studies. However, earlier clinical trials that provided standard supplementation doses failed to show measurable reductions in heart disease risk. Intermountain scientists wanted to test a different idea: Rather than giving everyone the same dose, what if supplementation was adjusted to reach a specific healthy vitamin D level?

“Previous studies just gave patients supplementation without regularly checking blood levels of vitamin D to determine what supplementation achieved,” said Heidi May, PhD, cardiovascular epidemiologist at Intermountain and the study’s principal investigator. “With more-targeted treatment, when we checked exactly how supplementation was working and made adjustments, we found that patients had their risk of another heart attack cut in half.” 

The Intermountain study, called the TARGET-D trial, ran from April 2017 to May 2023 and included 630 patients who had suffered a heart attack within a month of enrolling. Participants were followed until March 2025 to monitor cardiovascular outcomes.

Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: One received no vitamin D management and the other underwent active, targeted vitamin D3 treatment. The goal for the treatment group was to raise blood levels of vitamin D to above 40 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). At the start, 85% of participants had blood levels of vitamin D below that threshold. More than half of the patients receiving targeted therapy required an initial dose of 5,000 international units (IUs) of vitamin D3 compared to typical supplement recommendations of 600-800 IUs.

Blood levels of vitamin D were checked annually for those maintaining healthy levels. Patients with lower levels were tested every three months and had their dosage adjusted until reaching the 40 ng/mL target. Afterward, their levels were monitored once a year.

Researchers tracked major cardiac events, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure hospitalizations, and deaths. Out of 630 participants, 107 experienced such events. While there was no significant difference in the overall risk between the two groups, the chance of having a second heart attack was cut in half among those receiving targeted vitamin D3 treatment.

“We’re excited with these results but know we have further work to do to validate these findings,” said Dr. May. Researchers plan to expand their work with a larger clinical trial to confirm and build upon these findings. “A larger study group will allow us to more fully evaluate whether targeted vitamin D management can reduce not only repeat heart attacks but also other forms of cardiovascular disease,” she said.

Fitness Flash Icon: Knee arthritis? Try Aerobics! 

Fitness Flash

Knee arthritis? Try Aerobics!

A sweeping review of 217 studies representing 15,684 participants found that aerobic exercises like walking and cycling offer the best pain relief and mobility gains for knee osteoarthritis. Compared to other types of exercise, aerobic training showed the strongest evidence across short- and long-term outcomes. All forms of exercise were found to be safe, but experts recommend making aerobic activity the foundation of treatment as it’s the most effective for easing pain, improving movement, and enhancing overall quality of life.

Osteoarthritis develops when the cartilage cushioning the ends of bones wears down, leading to swelling, stiffness, and discomfort. It can affect any joint, but the knees are most commonly impacted. About 30% of adults over age 45 show signs of knee osteoarthritis on X-rays, and roughly half of them experience significant pain and mobility problems.

Exercise is a cornerstone of osteoarthritis care, yet many medical guidelines lack clear direction on which kinds are most beneficial for knee osteoarthritis specifically. To clarify this, researchers analyzed the effectiveness and safety of several exercise approaches.

Exercise for knee arthritis

The trials varied in quality, but the team assessed the strength of the evidence using the internationally recognized GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system. They examined several key outcomes: pain reduction, physical function, gait performance, and quality of life. Each was measured at short-term (4 weeks), mid-term (12 weeks), and long-term (24 weeks) follow-ups. Across these studies, aerobic exercise consistently ranked highest in improving outcomes among all exercise types tested.

Other exercise forms showed value too. Mind-body workouts likely provided a notable improvement in short-term function, neuromotor exercises likely boosted short-term gait performance, and strengthening or mixed routines improved function in the mid-term. Importantly, none of the exercise types resulted in more adverse effects than the control groups, indicating that these therapies are generally safe.

The authors did acknowledge some study limitations. Many results came from indirect comparisons, certain outcomes lacked long-term data, and smaller studies may have influenced some early findings. Despite these limitations, the researchers describe their work as one of the most complete and current evaluations of exercise for managing knee osteoarthritis. They believe the findings, which were published in The BMJ, will help doctors make more-targeted recommendations.

Based on the evidence, the team advises aerobic exercise “as a first-line intervention for knee osteoarthritis management, particularly when the aim is to improve functional capacity and reduce pain” and says if aerobic exercise is not possible owing to individual limitations, “alternative forms of structured physical activity may still be beneficial.”

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Hydroxytyrosol from Olives Is a Neuroprotective Agent

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

One of the most powerful polyphenols in olive oil is hydroxytyrosol. Consuming hydroxytyrosol is linked to benefits in neurological, cardiovascular, and metabolic health, and the compound has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, neuro-protective, and immuno-protective effects. A recently published scientific review in the journal Foods examines the growing body of evidence supporting the characterization of hydroxytyrosol as a “functional food,” with emphasis on its effects on neurological and cognitive processes.

What is it?

Hydroxytyrosol (hi-droxy-TY-roh-sol), abbreviated as HXT, is a phenol, a natural chemical that is both water-soluble and attracted to fats, which means that it can pass through cell membranes. Its chemical structure also explains its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. HXT occurs mainly in olives—olive oil, fruit, leaves, and pulp—as well as in red and white wines.

What does HXT do in the brain?

HXT interacts with the brain and its vascular (blood vessel) system in 3 ways: 1) as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, HXT helps prevent damage to cerebral blood vessels and improves their function; 2) lab studies show that, by reducing oxidation and inflammation, HXT helps maintain the proper functioning of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a crucial filter inside the brain’s blood vessels that controls what substances enter and exit the brain; 3) in studies in humans, consuming HXT in the form of high-phenolic EVOO resulted in less “leakage” across the BBB and, as reflected in participants’ performance on cognitive tests, improved connectivity between brain regions.

HXT and its metabolites (the components of a substance that are formed when metabolic processes, such as digestion, break it down) are able to cross the BBB to interact with specific brain processes, enhancing protective activity and dampening inflammatory activity that is linked to depression and cognitive decline.

How much HXT is needed to obtain its benefits?

In studies in humans, the above benefits were observed with an HXT intake ranging from 7 to 15 mg/day. In terms of EVOO, this translates to a daily consumption of about 25 to 50 ml of high-phenolic olive oil, or ~2 to 3 tablespoons. Table olives—regardless of their color or brining—also provide an excellent source of HXT.

What’s next for HXT?

This body of promising evidence has intensified interest in the development of HXT-enriched foods and other ways of delivering this health-promoting compound. HXT is highly bioavailable, which means that, after it is consumed and digested, it is readily absorbed and transported by the body. So, for now—perhaps for always—the most effective, efficient, and delicious way to obtain the neuroprotective benefits of HXT is “food-first,” via high-phenolic EVOO.

Reference: Martínez-Zamora Z. Foods 2025;14(21):3624.