In Conversation with Prof. Sarah Berry
Sarah Berry is a Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London and Chief Scientist at ZOE. She is the lead nutritional scientist on the PREDICT program. Her research focuses on precision nutrition, postprandial metabolism, food, and fat structure. Following the release of her paper on the Effects of a personalised nutrition program on cardiomatabolic heath, we were lucky to catch up with her regarding her views on Extra Virgin Olive Oil and its inclusion as part of your daily diet.
Your research shows that diet and lifestyle are the two main factors influencing chronic disease occurrence. Both are possible to improve but in a busy world, it is not easy to make these changes. How do you see the Zoe programme changing this?
This is a great question, and it’s one of the reasons why so many nutrition interventions fail. We’re all busy, and many of us simply don’t have the space in our brains to make large-scale lifestyle changes. Another issue is that there’s so much nutrition misinformation around that even if people did have the time and inclination, they wouldn’t know where to start. ZOE helps address both of these problems.
We use a science-backed approach that gives you all the information you need to make changes that will benefit your long-term health. This is evidence-based and not reliant on the latest fads. You can access this information for free in our podcast and on our website. However, as a ZOE member, you also get bite-sized lessons in the app that take you through the most important aspects of nutrition for your health.
Importantly, following ZOE isn’t about making huge, sweeping changes all in one go. It’s about creating simple dietary habits one at a time. Once something is a habit, it’s no longer difficult to fit into your life – you just do it without thinking. Over weeks and months, you slowly adapt your life to make sure that the food you eat and the way you live your life supports your health goals.
Another important point is that many fad diets rely heavily on giving something up or going without. With ZOE, no food is off the table, so there’s no guilt or shame, and there are no rumbling stomachs or weirdly coloured shakes and smoothies.
How can extra virgin olive oil play an active role in a personalised nutrition program? Do you recommend it for everyone?
Our research has shown that everyone responds to food differently. So, if two people drank a pint of olive oil – not something anyone would ever recommend – their responses may well be very different. However, there are some foods that we believe are good for everyone and EVOO is one of them. EVOO contains lots of healthy fatty acids as well as being packed full of polyphenols. So whilst we now know that some people may benefit more from these fatty acids or polyphenols than others, overall EVOO is an excellent part of everyone’s diet .
What are the key responses you have noted in your research for inclusion of Extra Virgin Olive Oil as part of a daily diet?
We haven’t conducted any research specifically focused on EV olive oil, but other scientist’s studies suggest that its high polyphenol levels and healthy lipid profile support long-term health via direct effects on blood vessel function as well as many other beneficial effects throughout the body.
What impact do you believe a high polyphenol, new season extra virgin olive oil can have on the gut microbiome?
We know that ‘good’ gut bacteria love polyphenols and that new season extra virgin olive oil is particularly rich in these compounds. However, the important thing to note here is that it’s your overall dietary pattern over months and years that matters most for your health. So, if you add olive oil to a salad once each month, that’s not going to provide much benefit. But if you regularly consume a wide variety of plants and limit your intake of highly processed foods, adding extra virgin olive oil on top of this will be a welcome addition.
Many people are now periodically fasting – how important is satiety? And how related is this to mood do you think?
Many of us will be familiar with feeling ‘hangry’ – the short fuse that comes with hunger. So I’d say there are certainly links between satiety and mood. However, not everyone gets hangry, and some people can stick with a time-restricted eating schedule without ever feeling particularly cross. Another important point is that many modern, over-processed foods are broken down very quickly, which means they don’t keep us full, and we’re more likely to go back to the fridge before our next meal. Whereas, if you eat a well-balanced, meal based on whole foods, you will likely feel much fuller for longer. Fibre, protein and healthy fats help slow digestion and nutrient absorption, meaning that you are less likely to feel hangry, even if you are intermittent fasting.
If you could recommend just one dietary adjustment and one lifestyle adjustment, what would it be?
As far as diet is concerned, I recommend upping your fibre intake. Most people in the United Kingdom don’t eat nearly enough. This essentially means eating more plants. And if you focus on upping your plant intake, you’ll likely feel fuller for longer and perhaps less likely to eat things that aren’t so good for you. As for lifestyle adjustments, I’d go for keeping active. I know, it’s boring, and we might not like it, but getting out and walking or doing whatever activities you enjoy is vital for staying healthy for longer.