The role of olive oil and its constituents in mental health: a scoping review.
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
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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.