Olive oil is an amazing super food

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00:00 Olive oil, this ancient, amazing superfood has amazing benefits for the body.

00:06 Recent reports saying that it could be harmful based on a couple of deluded individuals

00:11 who drink gallons of it every day are completely unfounded.

00:15 The scientific evidence clearly shows we should be using more olive oil in our diet on a daily basis

00:22 if we want to improve our current well-being and our future health.

00:27 Particularly go for varieties which are cold-pressed, use extra virgin olive oil or unfiltered.

00:35 The cold-pressed extraction ensures it maintains this lovely dark green colour and rich aroma which we all love.

00:44 But also it preserves the polyphenol content and doesn't denature the fats,

00:51 both of which are the main health-enhancing properties.

00:56 The unfiltered varieties of olive oil give it an even deeper, rich green colour.

01:02 Part of the benefit of olive oil is it's packed full of unsaturated fats,

01:07 which are an excellent energy source which are absorbed slowly into the body,

01:11 which provides energy over the course of the day.

01:14 Now these are beneficial because they help break down the bad fats, the cholesterol,

01:19 which is why people who have olive oil tend to have lower cholesterol levels.

01:23 These fats are also very good in reducing inflammation in the body

01:27 and they're used throughout the brain, the heart,

01:30 and hence why it's linked to a lower cardiovascular disease and lower risk of dementia as you get older.

01:37 It's also important to have a diverse diet and not just have all your oils from one source.

01:42 So still think about healthy fats from fish and other plants such as avocado.

01:48 Of course, we still have to have some common sense.

01:51 There's a lot of calories in olive oil and if you're struggling with the weight,

01:55 you have to reduce the amount you take,

01:57 along with other energy-rich sources such as carbohydrates and other fats.

02:02 As an oncologist, I'm always interested in relationships between food and cancer.

02:06 And one interesting experiment recently showed that some of the polyphenols in olive oil

02:11 can actually interact with a receptor on breast cancer called HER2 and block it slightly.

02:17 So it's actually an anti-cancer agent directly as well.

02:21 Olive oil actually protects the skin, not only if you drink it,

02:24 but if you apply it to the skin after being exposed to the sun.

02:28 There's been a number of experiments which show that it reduces the DNA damage

02:33 or the mutations in the skin which happens with sun exposure,

02:36 which hence will reduce the risk of premature aging and ultimately skin cancers.

02:41 (upbeat music)

02:44 you