This week on the Olive Health Information System website

The newsletter of the University of Navarra and the IOC dedicated to health

Two recent studies strengthen the case for high-quality dietary patterns – especially those rich in extra-virgin olive oil – as powerful allies against cognitive decline and chronic disease in later life.

The first study, drawing on data from more than 121,000 participants in the UK Biobank followed for nearly 11 years, found that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet — a dietary pattern rich in plant foods, moderate in fish and dairy, and with olive oil as the main source of fat — was associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia. Participants with the highest adherence had up to a 47% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a 45% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared with those with the lowest adherence.

Meanwhile, researchers in Sweden followed over 2,400 older adults for 15 years in the long-running SNAC-K study to explore the role of diet in the progression of multimorbidity (the accumulation of multiple chronic diseases). They found that people who most closely followed healthy dietary patterns—such as the Mediterranean diet, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and the MIND diet—accumulated chronic diseases at a slower pace, particularly cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric conditions. In contrast, diets with greater inflammatory potential were associated with an accelerated development of multimorbidity.

Together, these findings highlight that high-quality diets — especially Mediterranean dietary patterns, with olive oil as one of their most distinctive and beneficial components — not only reduce dementia risk but also slow the accumulation of age-related chronic diseases, underscoring their importance for both public health and clinical practice.

Other articles mentioned this week in the OHIS newsletter:

Olive fruit and olive oil

Therapeutic effects of olive leaf tea (Olea europaea L.) on gastrointestinal symptoms and body composition in adults with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

Brain and cognitive health

Cardioprotective and mentally protective effects of the Mediterranean-dietary approaches to stop hypertension intervention for neurodegenerative delay diet combined with forest bathing among adults with elevated blood cholesterol: a parallel group randomised controlled study protocol.

The role of the Mediterranean diet in the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Adherence to four dietary indices and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific dementia: Findings from the UK Biobank study.

Cardiometabolic health

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Additional Cardiovascular Outcomes in the PREDIMED Trial: An Outcome-Wide Perspective.

Long sleep duration pattern is associated with increased cardiovascular recurrence: Effect of long-term Mediterranean diet from the CORDIOPREV study.

Correlation of the Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet vs. ultra-processed diet with health outcomes in type 2 diabetes and hypertension: new insights from a 12-month interventional study.

Association between dietary patterns, sleep disturbance and stroke: A large cross-sectional study in US adults.

Influence of dietary components on the gut microbiota of middle-aged adults: the gut-Mediterranean connection.

Ageing and chronic diseases

Dietary patterns and accelerated multimorbidity in older adults.

Healthy dietary pattern and risk of rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Women’s health

Evaluation of a 12-week Mediterranean diet-based nutritional and educational programme for breast cancer survivors: impact on BMI, fatigue, dietary adherence, and menopausal symptoms.

Maternal Mediterranean-Style Diet During Pregnancy and Child Social Impairment as Measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale.

Children and adolescents

Effect of the Mediterranean diet on BMI and body composition: A preliminary pre-post intervention study in pediatric overweight patients.

Other topics

Mediterranean Diet, Semen Quality, and Medically Assisted Reproductive Outcomes in the Male Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.