Congratulations on the publication of your book Younger You! Can you briefly tell us about your research regarding biological age reversal and what we can expect to learn from this book?
Thank you – it has been a truly fascinating discovery. What started as a fully functional approach to health that my clinic team and I incorporate in all of our patient programs turned out to be an excellent bio age-reversing tool! That is what we found out in our ground-breaking study - our multimodal treatment program, which included diet, sleep, exercise and relaxation guidance, and targeted supplements, led to a 3-year biological age decrease in just 8 weeks.
You can imagine our excitement over these results - we had to share them with the world at large! And so the Younger You book was born. In there, you can find the very same program we used in our clinical trial, along with many practical tips, lifestyle practices, recipes, meal plans, and shopping lists. But most importantly, Younger You challenges the long-held notion that we are helpless as it relates to the seemingly inevitable decline in our physical health as we age. In fact, the book makes it absolutely clear that we can change our (aging) destiny and don't have to spend the last years of our lives managing various illnesses, as so many of us do.
What is the role of olive oil in that? (and even more specifically if you know - what is the role of olive oil polyphenols?)
The polyphenols in olive oil are some of the stars in Younger You- science is just beginning to unpack their broad benefit. They are what we call epi-nutrients. Olive oil polyphenols such as oleacein, luteolin, oleuropein and others act as DNA methylation adaptogens which direct methylation traffic and ensure good genes are turned on, and bad genes are turned off. By optimizing methylation and epigenetic expression, we may slow down aging and prevent and treat chronic illnesses. And the best part is we can do that through foods, such as olive oil, and lifestyle practices such as daily movement and relaxation.
Which other pantry staples do you recommend always having on hand?
We have a list of superfoods with the highest concentration of epi-nutrients, and we call that list the Dynamic Dozen. So those would be the foods we would encourage to have on hand and consume regularly:
- Green tea
- Turmeric
- Blueberries
- Rosemary
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Beets
- Eggs
- Organic liver
- Seeds
- Salmon
- Shiitake mushrooms
- All dark leafy greens
What is your favorite olive oil recipe or your favorite way to use olive oil?
I love olive oil, and drizzle it on anything! We also use it for medium-heat cooking, such as light sauteeing, and it's actually featured in over 35 recipes in the Younger You book - that's almost half of all recipes. From breakfast omelets and muffins to salads, stir-fries, crackers, and dips - you can add high-phenolic extra-virgin olive oil to any dish.
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Check out Dr. Kara Fitzgerald's new book, Younger You, and learn more about reverse biological aging!
