The Brisbane Lord Mayor has revealed he drinks olive oil from a shot glass every morning because he is “into biohacking” and believes it will help him live longer.
Adrian Schrinner outlined the routine in a rapid-fire Q&A on Wednesday, when asked if there was anything residents would be surprised to learn if they followed him around for a week.
He explained he drinks 30 to 60 millilitres of high-polyphenol extra-virgin olive oil from shot glasses immediately after waking up for health reasons.
“I’m kind of into biohacking,” Schrinner said.
“I want to live to see my kids grow up. This is a high-stress job, so you need … stuff to stay alive.”
Biohacking is a general term for strategies to improve physical health and wellbeing through lifestyle changes, and many of its proponents have built enormous online followings.
Health experts contacted by this masthead said there was strong evidence consuming olive oil as part of a balanced diet was linked to longer lifespans and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
“I don’t know if I’d extend that to shots of olive oil being something that everyone needs to do, but Adrian’s obviously … picked up that there’s good evidence,” University of Queensland community health and wellbeing professor Lauren Ball said.
“It’s all in the ballpark of good choices … As long as it’s not dangerous or harmful or extreme, overall anything that promotes integrating good choices around health and wellbeing into our daily lives is a good thing.”
She added drinking olive oil straight could cause nausea.
The event at the Star casino at Queen’s Wharf was attended by several hundred people in the construction and development industry, and hosted by the Property Council of Australia.
Schrinner identified the Kangaroo Point Bridge as the project he was most proud of during the Q&A, but said he was yet to determine what he wanted his legacy as Lord Mayor to be.
He also suggested – almost certainly jokingly – he was unlikely to attend the 2032 Olympic Games opening ceremony, when asked where he planned to sit on the night.
“Probably at home in front of the TV … you get a better view in front of the TV.”
It followed a speech where he hit out at federal tax changes to negative gearing and the capital gains discount for housing, arguing they would hurt Brisbane residents.
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