Replacing 5 grams — around 1.2 teaspoons — of margarine or mayonnaise consumed daily with olive oil was associated with an 8 percent to 14 percent lower risk of death from dementia. The results of substituting with other vegetable oils or butter weren't significant, the authors found.

Consuming olive oil could help reduce the risk of dying from dementia, regardless of overall diet quality, a new study in U.S. adults suggests.

This staple of the Mediterranean diet could reduce the risk of dying from dementia Featuring seasonal fruit and vegetables, oily fish and, above all, a touch of olive oil at every meal, the Mediterranean diet has been lauded by the scientific community for decades.