Olive oil: How to unlock health benefits | Prof. Tim Spector & Elizabeth Berger

Olive oil could transform your health. It regulates blood sugar, helps with weight management and prevents long-term disease. That is if it's the right kind of olive oil.

Distributor of the world’s finest olive oils, Elizabeth Berger, and Professor Tim Spector discuss its health benefits, debunk myths, and explain how storage and cooking can affect nutritional value.

In today's episode, we learn how to get the most from olive oil, why choosing the right olive oil is crucial and the significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of this kitchen staple.

Elizabeth Berger is the founder of Frantoi, which works with growers and millers across Italy to harvest exceptional extra virgin olive oils. Tim Spector is a true olive oil evangelist, as well as one of the world’s top 100 most-cited scientists and ZOE's scientific co-founder.

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Timecodes

00:00 Introduction

01:05 Quick fire questions

03:15 How is olive oil made?

04:25 The 4 grades of olive oil

11:20 Olive oil in Mediterranean diets

13:15 The science behind healthy olive oil

16:35 Why we need healthy fats

21:05 What are polyphenols?

23:06 Extra virgin vs regular olive oil

27:03 Is there food industry misinformation about olive oil?

25:55 The power of seasonal eating

26:50 The best time to buy olive oil

28:00 The biggest myths about olive oil

31:25 How to properly store olive oil

33:00 How long do the health benefits last?

39:10 Is it safe to cook with extra virgin olive oil?

42:55 Tasting session of 3 extra virgin oils

55:10 How to identify high-quality olive oil

57:30 Tips to get more olive oil in your diet

Books by our ZOE Scientists:

• Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
• Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
• Fibre Fuelled by Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Free resources from ZOE:

• Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition 
• Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks

Mentioned in today's episode

• Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil the Critical Ingredient Driving the Health Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet?, published in Nutrients 2023
• Is There More to Olive Oil than Healthy Lipids?, published in Nutrients 15
• Protective effects of oleic acid and polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil on cardiovascular diseases, published in Food Science and Human Wellness
• Only virgin type of olive oil consumption reduces the risk of mortality, published in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 77
• Extra-virgin olive oil and the gut-brain axis: influence on gut microbiota, mucosal immunity, and cardiometabolic and cognitive health, published in Nutrition Reviews
• What do polyphenols do, and where can I find them?, published by ZOE
• What is fat, and how much do you need?, published by ZOE
• Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Changes in Different Commercial Oils during Heating, published by Acta Scientific Nutritional Health

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Episode transcripts are available here.