On the “Olive Oil-Gut-Brain Axis” (Sounds Like Science Fiction, But Bear With Me)

 

April 13, 2026

Dear Friends of Bramasole Olive Oil,

It was a little cold in Cortona when we were there in January, but the kind of cold that makes you want to cook something long and slow and eat it with good bread. Which is to say, the kind of cold that makes you reach for our olive oil. We have been doing that here for thirty-five years without thinking too much about why, beyond the obvious—that it is delicious. But the scientists have been thinking about it, and what has been circulating lately is worth a few minutes of your time.

Two numbers to start: 0.23 and 580.

The first is the free acidity level of our Gold Award-winning 2025 harvest oil. To carry the label “extra virgin,” an olive oil must come in below 0.8%. Ours comes in at 0.23% which is well less than a third of what the standard requires. Low acidity reflects how the olives were treated: picked at the right moment, pressed the same day, handled carefully from tree to bottle. A quiet kind of quality, easy to miss on a label but impossible to miss in the taste.

The second number, 580, is our polyphenol count, in milligrams per kilogram. Polyphenols are what scientists have been getting increasingly excited about. Powerful antioxidants found in the olive itself, are linked to lower cholesterol, reduced inflammation, and a healthier heart. To be classified as high polyphenol, an oil needs to reach 250 mg/kg. The average bottle on a grocery store shelf contains fewer than 200. At 580, we are more than double the threshold, almost triple the average.

And then there is the brain, of course. Among the articles making the rounds lately, researchers have been looking at what olive oil polyphenols do for the brain. Regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil has been linked to measurable improvements in cognitive function over time. The mechanism, as best as anyone can tell, runs through the gut: the polyphenols nurture beneficial bacteria, which in turn communicate with the brain. Scientists are calling it the “olive oil-gut-brain axis,” which really does sound like something from a science fiction novel but is, apparently, quite real.

Two tablespoons (we use more) of peppery Bramasole Olive Oil a day, on bread, on vegetables, in a pan. That is all it takes, according to most of the research. Frances and I have been at it for over thirty-five years, and we feel great.

Statemi bene, EM