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The role of olive oil and its constituents in mental health: a scoping review.

The British journal of nutrition
December 19, 2024
Vanessa Eedy et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers sought to systematically review and synthesize existing research on olive oil and its constituents to determine their impact on mental health outcomes, including symptom severity and progression.

Results Summary

Observational studies showed mixed results, with some reporting higher, lower, or no association between olive oil intake and mental illness. However, human experimental studies and most animal studies assessing olive oil as an intervention reported improvements in anxiety or depression symptoms.

Population

Human and animal studies (including experimental, observational, and preclinical research).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Mediterranean diet
increase
mental health
-
-
has a beneficial effect
#1
olive oil
increase
mental illness
-
-
higher rates
#2
olive oil
decrease
mental illness
-
-
lower
#3
olive oil
no change
mental illness
-
-
no association
#4
olive oil
decrease
anxiety or depression symptoms
human participants
-
improvement
#5
olive oil
decrease
anxiety or depression symptoms
animal models
-
improvement
#6
olive oil
increase
mental health outcomes
-
-
may benefit
#7
Abstract

Mounting evidence suggests that the Mediterranean diet has a beneficial effect on mental health. It has been hypothesised that this effect is mediated by a variety of foods, nutrients and constituents; however, there is a need for research elucidating which of these components contribute to the therapeutic effect. This scoping review sought to systematically search for and synthesise the research on olive oil and its constituents and their impact on mental health, including the presence or absence of a mental illness or the severity or progression of symptoms. PubMed and OVID MEDLINE databases were searched. The following article types were eligible for inclusion: human experimental and observational studies, animal and preclinical studies. Abstracts were screened in duplicate, and data were extracted using a piloted template. Data were analysed qualitatively to assess trends and gaps for further study. The PubMed and OVID MEDLINE search yielded 544 and 152 results, respectively. After full-text screening, forty-nine studies were eligible for inclusion, including seventeen human experimental, eighteen observational and fourteen animal studies. Of these, thirteen human and four animal studies used olive oil as a comparator. Observational studies reported inconsistent results, specifically five reporting higher rates of mental illness, eight reporting lower and five reporting no association with higher olive oil intake. All human experimental studies and nine of ten animal studies that assess olive oil as an intervention reported an improvement of anxiety or depression symptoms. Olive oil may benefit mental health outcomes. However, more experimental research is needed.

Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety90
Efficacy75/10
Quality80/10
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score1.22
Normalized Score0.82
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