The Study
Virgin olive oil supplementation and long-term cognition: the Predimed-Navarra randomized, trial
This study is like a randomized experiment where people were randomly put into groups. Some ate a Mediterranean diet with lots of olive oil, some ate a different healthy diet, and the researchers checked their brain function after 6.5 years. Because it was randomized, we can say the diet might be the reason for the differences, but we must be careful because not all brain tests improved and the study only included certain older people.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Researchers gave older adults at risk for heart disease one of three diets: a Mediterranean diet with lots of extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet with nuts, or a low-fat diet. They tested their thinking and memory after 6.5 years.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 583 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This matters because mild cognitive impairment can lead to dementia, so a simple diet change might reduce the risk.
- 2People on the olive oil diet scored better on memory and language tests and had 66% lower odds of mild cognitive impairment compared to the low-fat diet group.
- 3The nuts group did not show improvements.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging
Year
2013
Authors
E. Martinez-Lapiscina, P. Clavero, Estefanía Toledo, Estefanía Toledo, B. Julian, A. Sánchez‐Tainta, Dolores Corella, Dolores Corella, Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós, Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós, J. Martínez, J. Martínez, M. Martínez-González, M. Martínez-González
Related Content
Claims (7)
Eating a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil helps older adults with heart risk keep their thinking and memory sharp, and this benefit isn't just because of their age, education, genetics, smoking, weight, high blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes. The diet itself makes the difference.
Eating a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil for about six and a half years is linked to better brain function in older people who have high risk for heart problems. They scored higher on memory and thinking tests than people who ate a low-fat diet.
Older people with high heart risk who follow a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil have better memory for pictures and words after 6.5 years than those who follow the same diet but with mixed nuts instead.
For older people with high heart risk, eating a Mediterranean diet with extra nuts for about six and a half years didn't help their memory or thinking any more than a low-fat diet, and it didn't lower their chances of having mild memory problems.
Some olive oils are richer in natural compounds called phenolics. These olive oils help the brain in many ways.
For adults with normal thinking abilities, eating olive oil does not make them score better on memory or thinking tests.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.