|
The Mediterranean diet may have potential preventive and therapeutic benefits on the neurodegenerative process. This dietary pattern is characterized by the consumption of plant foods, grains, legumes, fish, a modest amount of red wine and the use of olive oil as its major source of fat. A recent review provides insights into the associations between the bioactive compounds present in the Mediterranean diet, neurodegenerative diseases, and markers and mechanisms of neurodegeneration. The Mediterranean diet may have a protective effect on the neurodegenerative process due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The paper suggests that the consumption of olive oil could be partly responsible for these effects. Extra virgin olive oil includes 36 phenolic compounds, including tyrosol, hydroxytyrosols, oleocanthal, and oleuropein, as well as carotenes. These phenolic chemicals penetrate the brain and exert neuroprotective effects via antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. According to extensive research, hydroxytyrosol functions as a scavenger of reactive free radicals, resulting in neuroprotective effects on brain cells during oxidative stress.
|
