Benefits of Olive Oil in Dementia and Other Simple Ways to Help Your Brain

Yet another new study shows the dramatic effect simple nutritional changes have on dementia risk. An earlier Harvard study showed that brains were 2 to 3 years younger by taking a simple multivitamin. Now, a new study of over 92,000 people showed that consuming about 1½ teaspoons of olive oil daily was associated with a 28% lower risk of dying from dementia.

If olive oil was a medication, it would be packaged as a special new medicine and pushed on everyone at a cost of thousands of dollars yearly. But, as with the numerous other natural options that improve health, this too will be largely ignored because of its lack of profit potential.

But this is a good one to be aware of — a simple and tasty addition to your diet that can make a big positive impact on your health!

Other Simple Measures That Improve Brain Health

Exercise Your Sense of Smell

Decreased ability to smell odors is associated with increased risk of dementia. So maybe improving your sense of smell by "exercising" it can reduce that risk.

Researchers tested that idea in a recent study by having subjects use a vaporizer with a different essential oil for two hours each night, the theory being that these variations would exercise their smells similar to how lifting weights improves muscle strength. The results showed an increase in size of the area of the brain associated with memory, 226% more so than shown by the control group.

Take a Multivitamin High in Folic Acid

Arguably the most effective preventive measure for Alzheimer’s is simply getting a multivitamin with high levels of folic acid. Adding high dose B vitamins and magnesium increases this further. A recent Harvard COSMOS study showed that even a low dose multivitamin decreased progression of cognitive loss by 60%.