Professor Tim Spector, a leading expert in genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, has recommended a straightforward dietary switch that could significantly enhance your wellbeing. The esteemed professor, who also co-founded the Zoe health app, suggests using olive oil on toast instead of butter to improve breakfast nutrition.
In his discussion about the virtues of olive oil on a Zoe podcast, Prof Spector highlighted the potential for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels. Despite its fat content, which can be up to 12 per cent, he insists olive oil is incredibly beneficial for health and advocates for its increased use in British diets.
Prof Spector said: “Replacing what we’ve been doing for ages with rather neutral health benefits like butter with olive oil is the way to really boost you health and get more olive oil into your diet.”
He also reflected on historical observations from the 1960s, noting that Mediterranean countries experienced significantly less heart disease compared to northern European nations, sparking debates over whether diet, wine, or lifestyle were responsible for this disparity.
“It turns out that, through a slow bit of detective work, that the amount of fats in the Mediterranean diet are actually quite high, which went against the theories of 20 years ago that fats were bad for you. The main source of fat in their diet was olive oil. That got people thinking that there was maybe something in olive oil that’s actually healthy, despite the fact that up to 12 per cent of it is saturated fat. We’re told in the UK and US that it is really bad for you,” reports Gloucestershire Live.
“More and more studies have shown that people who have olive oil regularly compared to people who don’t in the same country have significantly lower levels of heart disease, stroke and increasing evidence that cancer is less too.”
What does the science say?
There are numerous experiments which back up prof Spector’s claim, but perhaps the most convincing was a 2018 study known as the Predimed Study. It saw 7447 participants aged 55 to 80 years of age, 57 per cent of whom were women, who were at high cardiovascular risk. One group had a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil, another was supplemented with nuts, and a third was advised to reduce their dietary fat. It found that the ‘hazard ratio’ was lowest in those with olive oil, followed by those eating nuts. The reduced fat group came last.
The landmark study featured in the New England Journal of Medicine has highlighted the benefits of a Mediterranean diet adorned with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, revealing it trumps low-fat diets when warding off major heart problems. The study said: “In this study involving persons at high cardiovascular risk, the incidence of major cardiovascular events was lower among those assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts than among those assigned to a reduced-fat diet.”
Further affirming the health merits of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), 2023 research supports its superiority over other fats for maintaining heart health and managing weight.
Researchers observed: “Compared with other dietary fats and low-fat diets, EVOO is superior in the management of clinical biomarkers including lowering blood pressure and LDL-c, increasing protective HDL-c, improving glycemic control, and weight management.”
The copious polyphenols in EVOO rather than its monounsaturated fat content may take credit for its health perks, leading experts to recommend its use within diets such as the Mediterranean for optimal health outcomes. Prof Spector said: “We were all told it was a fatty oil. It has lots of saturated fat, which we thought gives you heart disease. There are also monounsaturated fats which are smaller types of fat we call good fats.
“One is called oleic acid. That seems to be one of the most important healthy fats that has this affect on the body. Also polyphenols convey the benefits to the body. They are the key antioxidants and the ones that nourish our gut microbes and can be found in huge numbers in olive oil compared to other foods.
“EVOO is one of the best sources of polyphenols you can get, but it is linked to quality. The lower your quality gets diluted, the less you get. We think they are crucial for giving these benefits to the heart.”
Prof Spector pointed out that coconut oil, which has enjoyed a boom in the health food sector, has just six known polyphenols, while olive oil boasts 36.
As the University of California highlights: “Olive oil has various health benefits. The majority of the fats in olive oil are made up of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). These have been shown to increase levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL) while lowering “bad” cholesterol (LDL). Out of all plant-based cooking oils, olive oil has the highest levels of MUFAs.
“This, along with the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in olive oil, may reduce plaque buildup in your arteries. It may also help protect your body from harmful chemicals that have been linked to chronic diseases like cancer, autoimmune diseases, and heart disease.”