Some scientists from the National Institutes of Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux, France, monitor the development of 7625 French people aged 65 years in three major cities, ie Bordeaux, Dijon, and Montpellier, for five years.
During the study, there were 148 people who had a stroke. Respondents were divided into several groups according to their actions using olive oil, ranging from people who do not use it at all until they are used in serving food, cooking, and making bread.
When the researchers adjusted for various factors, such as body weight, physical activity, and food as a whole, it was revealed that respondents who use olive oil as "intensive" has a 41 percent lower risk of stroke than those who never consume olive oil.
"Our research shows the need for a new set of dietary recommendations for preventing stroke for those aged 65 years and over," said study author, Cecilia Samieri, as quoted by AFP.
Meanwhile, a neurologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, who wrote an editorial published with the study, emphasized that the study was "observational".
The study found an association between the use of olive oil by humans and stroke risk they face, said Scarmeas. However, it does not necessarily translate into causality.
"People who eat olive oil may be very different from people who do not use it," said Scarmeas.
Users olive oil, for example, may have a higher income, better overall eating or exercising more frequently than those who never consume olive oil.
Researchers in the new study, led by Cecilia Samieri, trying to account for those differences. And once they do, olive oil, it proved to have ties to lower stroke risk.
However, Scarmeas said that was unlikely to fully account for all the variables. What is needed, he says, is a clinical trial, which is the object of the study were randomly assigned to use olive oil or not, and then followed its development from time to time to see who had a stroke.
Such a clinical trial is seen as the "gold standard" of medical evidence. "Stroke is common among the elderly, and olive oil would be an easy and inexpensive way to help prevent it," said Cecilia Samieri. The findings are published in the media journal of the American Academy of Neurology, "Neurology".
