It is common knowledge that extra virgin olive oil and the Mediterranean diet confer a multitude of health benefits. But what about emotional health benefits?
According to researchers from the University of Navarra, a diet rich in olive oil can protect from mental illness.
The study included 12,059 volunteers. The researchers followed these volunteers for over 6 years and gathered data on lifestyle factors such as diet as well as medical history. At the beginning of the study, none of the volunteers suffered from depression, and by the end of the study, 657 new cases were detected.
The data that was gathered, revealed that volunteers that had a high intake of trans fats, a hydrogenated fat found mainly in processed foods, had up to 48% increased risk of depression compared to volunteers who did not consume these fats.
In addition, the researchers discovered that a higher intake of extra virgin olive oil and polyunsaturated fats found in fatty fish and vegetable oils was associated with a lower risk of depression. According to the researchers, these findings suggest that cardiovascular disease and depression may share some common mechanisms related to diet.
In general, more and more research suggests that extra virgin olive oil consumption within the Mediterranean diet is linked to improved depressive symptoms as opposed to a diet high in other oils, like safflower, canola, and soy
Of course, the above findings need to be confirmed and continued by further prospective studies and by trials, as always happens in research
Nonetheless, the healthiest fat on earth is absolutely Extra Virgin Olive Oil…!!!
On behalf of the MONOGRAM Team
