ZOE Science & Nutrition

We all know how good it feels to drift into deep sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. The positive effects of a good night’s sleep affect every aspect of our lives. We feel energetic, focused, and ready to take on the day’s challenges. But the long-term effects of bad sleep are less known. It turns out, they have a huge impact on our health and even how long we live. In this episode, Jonathan speaks with Prof. Matthew Walker to learn what the latest science says about improving our sleep — to give us more energy and better health. They also discuss whether how we sleep changes how our bodies respond to food. Matthew Walker is a sleep expert, a professor of neuroscience at UC Berkeley, and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science. He’s also the author of Why We Sleep. Matt and his team are currently working with ZOE scientists to research the links between sleep, nutrition, and health. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:33 - Episode start 01:22 - Quickfire questions 02:48 - What’s the biggest myth about sleep» 04:09 - What is sleep? 07:46 - Why do we sleep? 10:29 - REM 14:22 - How does Matt study sleep? 16:18 - What happens when you don’t get enough sleep? 22:48 - Collaboration with ZOE 28:16 - Sleep and menopause 32:38 - Tips on how to sleep better 33:23 - Sleep regularity 35:12 - How do you find out about your chronotype? 37:20 - Bedroom temperature 38:04 - Lighting 39:04 - Caffeine and Alcohol effects on sleep 44:22 - Making your room like a cave 44:57 - The influence of screens on your sleep 47:03 - Summary 48:14 - Goodbyes 48:35 - Outro Get Matt’s book here. Listen to Matt’s podcast here. 'How people wake up is associated with previous night’s sleep together with physical activity and food intake' - Read the paper: here. Find out your chronotype here. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

The acid in your stomach is so powerful it can dissolve metal. Luckily, your stomach is fine-tuned to deal with its acidic fluid, but the rest of your body isn’t quite as hardy. So, if acid escapes from your stomach and reaches your esophagus, it can cause a painful sensation in the chest — this is heartburn. It isn’t rare, with more than 1 billion people suffering from it globally. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Will ask: Why do we get heartburn, and what’s the best way to deal with it? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in the episode: ‘Prevalence and clinical spectrum of gastroesophageal reflux: a population-based study in Olmsted County, Minnesota’ from Gastroenterology here ‘Proton-pump inhibitors and risk of fractures: an update meta-analysis’ from Osteoporos Int. here ‘Proton pump inhibitors alter the composition of the gut microbiota’ from BMJ here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Good information about vitamins is hard to find. With over 70% of Americans and 40% of Brits using them, it's a hugely lucrative market, which means numerous voices in the media and online pusing a pro-vitamin agenda. All without the scientific evidence to support their claims. So do we need vitamins to lead a healthy life? Or could these supplements actually cause serious health complications? In this episode, Jonathan speaks with Prof. JoAnn Manson and Dr. Sarah Berry to better understand how vitamin supplements affect our health. JoAnn Manson is a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and one of the world's most cited researchers. She’s run multiple enormous studies with over 20,000 participants to uncover the real effects of vitamin supplementation on our health. Dr. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition, who has personally run over 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction 02:29 - Quickfire questions 04:27 - Why are people confused about supplements? 05:17 - Which supplement does the majority of the population benefit from taking and why? 05:51 - What are dietary supplements and vitamins? 09:33 - Why is there so much advertising suggesting supplements? 10:54 - JoAnn’s research 14:07 - About vitamin C 15:15 - Megadosing 19:51 - VITAL and COSMOS trials 25:13 - Should we take vitamin D 27:37 - Omega-3 32:48 - Variation & personalization 36:51 - Actionable advice on supplements 38:45 - Should children take supplements? 42:13 - Should we all take a standard dose multivitamin? 44:54 - Summary 46:25 - Goodbyes 46:57 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Check the trials mentioned in today’s episode: AREDS 2, COSMOS, Physicians' Health Study II, VITAL Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberry Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

It's a condition that affects half the population, but there are countless unanswered questions about menopause. The symptoms vary significantly from person to person, including sleep problems, hot flashes, weight gain, and an increased risk of heart disease. In one of the largest studies to date, ZOE researchers have uncovered a link between menopause and our diets — and this could hold the key to reducing the severity of menopause symptoms. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: what role does diet play during menopause? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Follow Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahberry/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in the episode: ‘Why we are all being let down by the lack of research into menopause’ from Mosaic here ‘Menopause’ from the Nature Reviews Disease Primers here ‘What is Menopause?’ from the National Institute of Aging here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

In a lab in Ireland, a group of scientists stand around a stainless steel table. One of them is holding a device, not unlike a small turkey baster. His free hand plunges into a box on the table and retrieves a mouse. Using his device, he administers the brown solution within…rectally. This unfortunate soul has just received a fecal microbiota transplant. The donor was not another mouse but a human being. And the person in question had symptoms of severe depression. Jonathan speaks to John Cryan, author of the study that showed a relationship between gut and brain. In this episode, we learn more about his fascinating research, how microbes may affect our brain, and to eat to appease your gut bugs. John Cryan is a professor at University College Cork and a world-leading researcher into the relationship between our brain and our gut microbiome. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction 02:05 - Quickfire questions 03:26 - Are there links between the gut and the brain? 06:31 - The gut-brain axis 09:17 - How do gut bacteria affect our brains? 11:12 - Why does John call the microbiome “the chamber of secrets”? 14:20 - Does the microbiome explain drug side effects? 15:51 - Are there links between our microbiomes and mental health? 20:40 - If we improve our microbiome health can we improve our mental health? 24:58 - Can food help improve the microbiome and thus improve mental health? 28:33 - Microbiome’s effect on behavior 29:54 - Actionable advice 34:43 - Microbiome in adolescence 37:18 - Summary 38:26 - Goodbyes 38:48 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow John: https://twitter.com/jfcryan Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

We use it to fry, roast, or dress a salad. Cooking oil is a kitchen staple. But it's hard to know which is healthiest for each scenario. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: what cooking oils should you use and when? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in the episode: ‘Heated vegetable oils and cardiovascular disease risk factors’ from Vascular Pharmacology here ‘Does cooking with vegetable oils increase the risk of chronic diseases?: a systematic review’ from British Journal of Nutrition here ‘Culinary oils and their health effects’ from British Nutrition Foundation here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Fermentation is a hot craze in fancy restaurants around the world. And fermented foods, like kombucha and kimchi, are even sold in corner stores. Listeners of this show will have heard that fermented foods might benefit our gut health. But these foods make us uneasy. The idea of letting food rot, then eating it goes against everything our parents taught us. So, is fermentation scary and dangerous? This episode will show you why it's not only safe but beneficial to eat fermented foods, and that fermenting foods is something you can try at home. Jonathan speaks to Tim Spector and Sandor Katz — whom the food magazine CHOW calls a provocateur, trendsetter, and rabble-rouser — to better understand the fabulous world of fermentation. Sandor Katz is a food activist who is widely credited with reintroducing fermentation to the US and the UK, calling himself a fermentation revivalist. Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:13 - Topic introduction 02:21 - Quickfire questions 04:10 - Isn’t fermentation niche? 05:05 - What is fermentation? 07:36 - Why did our ancestors ferment their food? 08:54 - How is fermentation preserving food? 12:45 - What are the impacts on our health of eating fermented foods? 16:27 - How to make kimchi 19:00 - What is kefir? 20:25 - Why are fermented foods good for our health 24:19 - Why don’t we have to worry about bacteria in fermented foods? 29:36 - What are the best fermented foods to get started with? 34:16 - Can you purchase fermented foods at stores? 39:26 - 5 tips for people interested in trying fermented foods 42:42 - Summary 44:17 - Listener’s question: What’s the most unusual food that you’ve fermented? 45:16 - Goodbyes 45:24 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Sandor: https://www.instagram.com/sandorkraut/ Learn Sandor’s sauerkraut recipe here. Get Sandor’s book here. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Have you ever lost your temper because you were hungry? Feeling short-tempered when you’re overdue a bite to eat is an almost universal experience, with its own adjective - ‘hangry’. If missing just one meal turns you into a grump, you may think that fasting would turn you into the Incredible Hulk. However, new data suggests this might not be the case. In this daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Dr Sarah Berry joins Jonathan to answer the question: how does fasting affect your energy and mood? This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s largest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger levels. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you? Take part for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Can you make it from lunch to dinner without a snack? Tradition tells us that three meals a day is the right way to eat, but times have changed, and many of us now choose to eat little and often. The debate continues as to which is better. Today, we discuss new data that could settle this once and for all. In this daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Dr Sarah Berry to answer the question: should we eat little and often or 3 meals a day? This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger levels. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you? Take part in the Big IF Study for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Nowadays, food can be delivered to your door with just a few swipes of your smartphone. The result? Many of us eat more frequently, at any time of the day. And this may have some downsides. New research shows that for our gut bacteria to perform their helpful activities, we may have to embrace the dietary patterns of our ancestors. In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Tim Spector to answer the question: How do gut bacteria repair your gut while fasting? This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you? TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Food package labels can be complex. With so much information, many of us set a beeline for the calorie number, but there’s more going on in food than just the amount of energy. How much value is there in counting calories, and should you continue? The latest science could make you reconsider. In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Dr Sarah Berry to answer the question: Does calorie counting work? This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you? TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

We’ve all been there at least once, hovering by the fridge and looking for something to graze on just before bed. What you eat after dark can disrupt your sleep and digestion. Yet new evidence suggests that when we snack is less important than what we snack on, so suddenly that midnight snack may not be a guilty pleasure after all. In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Dr Sarah Berry to answer the question: should you avoid late-night snacks? This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you? TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Fasting has been shown to improve our metabolism, slow disease and potentially increase our life span. While world religions have practiced fasting for millennia, the trend of fasting has soared in popularity in the last decade. Not all fasts are made equally and there are a lot of different rules to follow. Some purists argue that you’re only allowed water while fasting others believe there can be more flexibility during your period of abstinence. In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Tim Spector to answer the question: what breaks a fast? This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger levels. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you? Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Where were you in 2015? President Obama was in the White House, The UK was a member of the European Union, and you couldn’t escape Bruno Mars's global smash: Uptown Funk. More importantly, 2015 marked the release of Tim Spector’s first book: The Diet Myth. If you think the world has felt different since 2015, wait until you hear about the advances in nutritional science. Since then, Tim has had a chance to rethink his position on dietary staples like bread, milk, ultra-processed foods and more. He’s put everything he’s learnt into his new book Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well. In this episode, Tim speaks with Jonathan about what he got right, where he went wrong, and what the future holds for the world of nutrition. Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Topic introduction 02:33 - Quickfire questions 03:19 - Has Tim changed his opinion on anything while writing his new book? 03:55 - Tim’s new book: Food for Life 05:41 - Today’s topic: 5 foods Tim got wrong 06:55 - #1: Bread 10:16 - What has Tim’s opinion changed about bread? 12:23 - #2: Personalization 15:15 - How has Tim’s breakfast changed? 22:05 - #3: Milk 25:04 - Skim milk vs whole milk 27:48 - What kind of milk does Tim have? 29:43 - #4: Mushrooms 32:37 - #5: Ultra-processed foods 40:30 - Summary 42:17 - Will Tim write another book? 42:49 - Goodbyes 42:53 - Outro Pre-order Tim’s book here. Episode transcripts are available here. Check the trial mentioned in today’s episode here. This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

It seems like every day, someone new mentions intermittent fasting. But what is it, exactly? There are myriad options — from the 5:2 diet, with two days of extreme calorie restriction each week, to the warrior diet, which involves eating only raw fruit during the day and a mammoth feast at night. Whatever the approach, intermittent fasting involves restricting the window of time when you eat. Supporters evangelise the benefits, promising weight loss, disease prevention, and even life extension. Currently, the scientific evidence is unclear, but it's an exciting area that may be full of potential. Today, Jonathan speaks with Gin Stephens, who has had a powerful experience of intermittent fasting transforming her health and weight. He also talks to Tim Spector, who will share what science can tell us about intermittent fasting today — and, interestingly, how much it can’t, yet. Plus, an exciting announcement about how this is set to change. Gin Stephens is a New York Times bestselling author and podcast host. Tim Spector is a co-founder of ZOE and one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:15 - Topic introduction 02:44 - Quickfire questions 04:38 - ZOE’s intermittent fasting study 08:42 - What is intermittent fasting and how it impacted Gin’s life 11:50 - Demystifying intermittent fasting 14:19 - The science of intermittent fasting 23:29 - Starting intermittent fasting 25:29 - What am I allowed to have during intermittent fasting? 30:07 - The first 28 days of “clean” intermittent fasting 32:51 - Intermittent fasting and the microbiome 37:00 - Correlation with circadian rhythms 38:56 - How important is consistency when time-restricted eating? 41:14 - On intermittent fasting & women’s health 43:24 - Summary 44:35 - Goodbyes 44:56 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Join us for the World’s Biggest Intermittent Fasting study at joinzoe.com/fasting Follow Gin: https://www.instagram.com/ginstephens Get Gin’s books here. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Diets rich in fiber are associated with good heart health and metabolic wellbeing. This type of diet can do wonders for our gut microbiome. With so many benefits, relatively low cost, and high availability, fiber should be a staple nutrient in our diets — but most of us have a deficiency. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Will ask: If fiber is so good for us, why are we not eating enough of it? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ If you want to uncover the right foods for your body, head to joinzoe.com/podcast and get 10% off your personalized nutrition program. Studies referenced in the episode: Read ‘Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses’ from The Lancet here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Do our blood vessels hold the secret to long life? 60,000 miles long. That’s the length of the tube system inside us that transports blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the cells in our body. If these tubes fail, the result can be fatal. In some cases, it’s a heart attack. In others, it’s a stroke, where the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, and brain cells are damaged or killed. Heart attacks and strokes are a major cause of death in developed countries - but we can take action to reduce the risks. In this episode, Jonathan speaks to a world-renowned physician, scientist, and speaker to gain insights into how looking after this magical pipework could slow down aging. Dr. William Li is a world-leading specialist in blood vessels and preventative health and the author of countless papers on the topic, who possesses the gift for communicating this complex subject in terms we can all understand. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:09 - Topic introduction 01:34 - Quickfire questions 04:17- Why do blood vessels matter? 05:28 - How do blood vessels link to heart health? 09:15 - Elasticity of blood vessels 13:51 - Can we reverse the stiffening and blockage of blood vessels? 19:58 - Does food damage the blood vessels? 24:40 - Does high blood pressure affect blood vessels? 29:36 - How do aging and diet affect blood vessels? 34:16 - Data on reversing blood vessel damage 39:00 - How is aging linked to blood vessel health? 41:53 - Summary 43:05 - Goodbyes 43:21 - Outro Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Follow William: https://twitter.com/drwilliamli Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Episode transcripts are available here

Most of us are familiar with the unpleasant feeling of being bloated. It can happen after eating specific foods or when you experience slower bowel movements. Sometimes, it can be a symptom of an underlying health condition. To take a closer look at issues related to gas and bloating, we’ve invited a special guest this week: superstar gastroenterologist and Zoe’s US Medical Director Will Bulsiewicz. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Will ask: what are the main causes of gas bloating and how do we stop it? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in the episode: Burden of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in the United States: Results of a Nationally Representative Survey of Over 71,000 Americans + Am J Gastroenterol + here Abdominal bloating is the most bothersome symptom in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C): a large population-based Internet survey in Japan + Biopsychosoc Med. + here Sensation of bloating and visible abdominal distension in patients with irritable bowel syndrome + Am J Gastroenterol + here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Our planet is overheating. Human society is creating too much carbon dioxide, stopping the sun’s warmth from escaping back into space. As earth gets hotter, its ice caps are melting, causing sea levels to rise, and submerging entire communities. Floods, droughts, and wildfires are already becoming much more common. Some effects of climate change are now irreversible, but there is still hope, and adjusting what we eat might play a bigger part than you’d imagine. In this episode, Jonathan speaks with a pioneer in science who will help you understand how your eating habits affect the planet, so you can make informed decisions about the foods you eat and how you prepare them. Sarah Bridle is a professor of food climate and society at the University of York in the United Kingdom. She is on the vanguard of a new field, and her research carefully measures the exact effects of the foods we eat on climate change. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Topic introduction 01:34 - Quickfire questions 03:14 - Why does climate change matter? 05:40 - Why does food matter for reducing climate change? 07:44 - Understanding how different foods affect the climate 11:32 - Do I have to go vegan to help stop climate change? 13:14 - Are all meats equal in terms of their climate impact? 16:20 - How do by-products of animals impact climate? 17:22 - Carbon footprint of milk alternatives 19:51 - Is a baked potato good for the planet? 21:42 - Other things that impact climate change to consider 23:33 - Food miles vs air miles? 26:48 - Are avocados killing the planet? 28:05 - Avocados’ water consumption 28:44 - Packaging 34:34 - Food waste 35:20 - Can a sustainable diet be affordable? 36:39 - 3 things to do to reduce your impact on climate change 38:58 - Summary 40:22 - Goodbyes 40:49 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/sarahbridle Get Sarah’s book here. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Cholesterol in our food has a bad reputation. Many of us think of it as something to try to cut it out of our diet completely. Yet new research could redeem eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science and Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: what happens when you eat high cholesterol foods? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in the episode: Hyperlipidemia as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease + Prim Care. + here Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations + Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care + here The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Reverse Cholesterol Transport: A Review + Nutrients + here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

In today’s world, we increasingly live our lives late into the night. Whether it's work obligations, socializing, or being glued to a screen, we ignore the sun's rise and fall. But most of us are unaware that a clock is ticking away inside us. It uses light to keep time and tells us when to sleep and eat. Should we listen? Or is this biological clock simply a relic from a past time? In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to a leading authority to unravel the latest science that reveals that this body clock, or circadian rhythm, has a dramatic impact on our health, weight, and mental wellbeing: Russell Foster is an Oxford University scientist who has dedicated his life to studying circadian rhythms. He’s a world leader in the field and the author of Lifetime: the new science of the body clock. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:12 - Topic introduction 01:23 - Quickfire questions 02:30 - What is the biggest myth about our body clock that drives Russell crazy? 03:19 - What are circadian rhythms? 06:41 - Why do they matter to us? 10:32 - How does your body sync its clock? 14:07 - How does the circadian rhythm influence sleep? 15:18 - What happens if we don’t live alongside our circadian rhythms? 21:26 - What should night workers do? 26:45 - Does your circadian rhythm change when going through menopause? 29:42 -Is there a circadian rhythm for our gut? 33:12 - Will it damage our long-term health to continuously be awake by our small children? 35:15 - Summary 36:14 - Goodbyes 36:36 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Get Russell’s book here. Follow Russell: https://twitter.com/oxscni Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Artificial sweeteners are everywhere. Not only in diet soft drinks but in many foods that you wouldn’t expect. You’ve probably eaten some today without realising. Sweeteners have been around for over a hundred years yet remain the subject of much debate. It's hard to know how they stack up next to the alternatives. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: are artificial sweeteners worse than sugar? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in the episode: Stevia Leaf to Stevia Sweetener: Exploring Its Science, Benefits, and Future Potential from The Journal of Nutrition here Chronic Intake of Commercial Sweeteners Induces Changes in Feeding Behavior and Signaling Pathways Related to the Control of Appetite in BALB/c Mice from Biomed Res Int here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Kanchan Koya grew up in a house filled with wonderful fragrances from the spices simmering on her grandmother’s stove. In India, it was a common belief that spices were more than just pleasant tastes. Ancient wisdom said they had medicinal properties, and it was common for household medicine cabinets to store dried spices, not pills. Kanchan grew up to become a molecular biologist, studying in the US at Harvard Medical School. When her lab began to investigate turmeric’s healing properties, the ancient wisdom from her childhood met the scientific inquiry of her adult life - beginning a lifelong obsession with the health benefits of spice. In today’s episode, Kanchan and regular guest Tim Spector help us understand whether there is any scientific evidence to support the health benefits of spices, the easiest way to add spice to our diet, and which ones to choose. Kanchan Koya is the founder of SpiceSpiceBaby and The Radical Vitality Podcast with a Ph.D. in Biomedicine from Harvard University and training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Topic introduction 01:19 - Quickfire questions 02:17 - What is a spice 04:23 - How did Kanchan’s passion for spices begin? 06:56 - What do we know about how spices affect our health? 12:16 - The latest science on spices 17:07 - Which spices are best? 24:46 - How to start using spices? 27:56 - Hacks to start using spices for the best health benefits possible 30:55 - Quality of spices 35:45 - Storage of spices 36:53 - Summary 37:53 - Goodbyes 38:47 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Read ZOE’s PREDICT Studies here. Know more about the 5 spices you should embrace here. Follow Kanchan: https://www.instagram.com/chiefspicemama Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Vegan diets are increasingly popular. As more of us reduce our animal product consumption, countless new meat and dairy alternatives appear on our supermarket shelves. Manufacturers market these products as healthy options (unsurprisingly), but perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to trust them… In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: are meat and dairy alternatives healthier than their animal-based counterparts? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in today's episode: How well do plant based alternatives fare nutritionally compared to cow’s milk? here Risks of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians over 18 years of follow-up here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions

We’ve all felt the effects of food on our mood, so it would stand to reason that dietary intervention for mental health would be well studied and a regularly deployed treatment. But this is far from reality, as historically, psychiatry was only concerned with what happened from the neck up. In today’s episode, Jonathan is joined by Felice Jacka, Professor of Nutritional Psychiatry and Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University. Felice was the driving force behind the landmark study to determine if dietary intervention could help treat the symptoms of moderate to severe depression. With her help, we dive into what the science suggests regarding the relationship between food and our mental health and what foods we can eat to improve it. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:09 - Jonathan’s introduction 01:28 - Quick-fire questions 02:08 - What do we mean when we talk about 'mood'? 03:40 - Is it true that we're much more focused on mental health? 05:11 - How do we think about the relationship between our bodies and our mind today? 07:01 - Felice’s journey into psychiatry 08:24 - PHD looking into the relationship between diet and mental health 11:44 - The SMILEs Trial 13:22 - How much did diet affect the participants in the study? 15:40 - How long does it take to see results? 16:40 - What role does body weight have in this debate? 17:22 - How important is it that we focus on the quality of our diet over calories? 18:20 - What is the gut-brain axis and the microbiota gut-brain axis? 19:12 - Gut disorders and mental health issues closely related 21:25 - The effects of gut bacteria on the brain 21:58 - What is orthorexia and how is that linked to anxiety? 23:16 - Is there a risk with using diet to treat mental illness? 24:20 - What do healthy diets from across the world have in common? 25:52 - Foods to eat more of or less of to improve mood 27:24 - Diversity in diet 29:12 - Effects of diet on the menopause 32:10 - How does our mental health affect how we eat? 33:20 - What part does the industrialized food system have to play on a social level? 34:14 - How ultra-processed foods impact us 37:06 - Summary Episode transcripts are available here. Visit The Food and Mood Centre’s website for more information on Deakin University’s world-leading, multi-disciplinary research: https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/ Read Felice’s SMILEs Trail here. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

A recent study claims that eating a hotdog reduces life expectancy by 38 minutes, and eating salmon could extend it by 70 minutes. At face value, this data implies you can eat your way to immortality. Taken with a pinch of salt, it suggests you can offset the harm from poor dietary choices. But does food really work this way? In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: can you reverse the effects of a bad diet? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in today's episode: Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modelling study available here Small targeted dietary changes can yield substantial gains for human health and the environment available here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions

Biochemist Jessie Inchauspe heads into work one morning at a genetics lab in California. During the morning meeting, management offer staff the chance to self-test a new medical device. Jessie accepts. She couldn’t have known this device would take her on a journey of discovery to reshape her health and help countless others do the same. The device was a continuous blood sugar monitor, and it was this, combined with her academic background, and a remarkable willingness to use herself as a lab rat, that began a journey of discovery into how blood sugar affects our health. In today’s episode, Jonathan is joined by two leading experts on the topic: Jessie Inchauspe is a biochemist, bestselling author, and founder of the Glucose Goddess movement who’s helped hundreds of thousands of people improve their health by making cutting-edge science accessible. Dr. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition, who has personally run over 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Topic introduction 01:28 - Quickfire questions 02:39 - What is blood sugar? 03:29 - Why do we have blood sugar? 05:25 - Blood sugar monitoring 07:30 - How does blood sugar affect our health? 09:12 - Do we want a flat blood sugar? 14:03 - Blood sugar responses and menopause 19:20 - Personalization in blood glucose responses 23:17 - Actionable advice to better control your blood sugar 23:55 - Food ordering 28:30 - Vinegar and blood sugar 34:15 - What foods should I eat to control blood glucose spikes? 37:39 - Blood glucose & exercise 40:02 - Summary 41:45 - Listener question 43:03 - Goodbyes 43:17 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Buy Jessie’s book here. Read ZOE’s PREDICT Studies here. Follow Jessie: https://www.instagram.com/glucosegoddess Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

If you're confused about the health effects of fats, you are not alone. You've probably read the headlines - fats are killing us! Then found claims they’re actually healthy in the same publication the following week. Saturated fats have been touted as the worst of all. While there’s ambiguity around other fat sources, saturated fats are universally demonized. But are they really the super villain we've been led to believe? Find out in this week’s episode. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Keto has been promoted as a magic bullet for weight loss by its supporters and slammed as dangerous by its opponents. It's no surprise - completely removing almost all carbohydrates is not what most people consider ‘a balanced diet’. With carbs off the table, Keto diets involve a dramatically increased fat intake. At the same time, drastically reducing carbs means starving our gut microbes of the fiber that feeds them. Nonetheless, doctors prescribe keto diets to treat people with severe diabetes and see dramatic improvements, and many healthy people swear by keto for weight loss. On top of this, removing carbohydrates prevents blood sugar spikes and crashes linked to inflammation and disease. In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to a leading nutritional researcher to understand whether or not keto diets are a crazy fad: Christopher Gardner is a professor at Stanford University and a member of ZOE’s scientific advisory board who’s produced a clinical trial of keto diets, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Topic introduction 01:38 - Quick-fire questions 05:20 - What is a ketogenic diet? How does it work? 08:34 - Why have people become interested in keto? 10:16 - To promote ketosis, how low-carb should a diet be? 11:46 - Why are randomized trials so important? 14:37 - Christopher’s study 18:46 - What is a Mediterranean diet? 21:31 - Study results 25:33 - How sustainable is a keto diet? 31:22 - How strictly should you follow the keto diet? 32:47 - Diabetes and keto 35:36 - Keto’s impact on the microbiome 37:57 - Is there a long-term impact on the ability to process carbs? 39:51 - Summary 41:40 - Listener’s question 42:12 - Goodbyes 42:32 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Read Chris’ Study here. Follow Chris: https://twitter.com/GardnerPhD Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

The word ‘processed’ has become synonymous with being unhealthy. The mainstream media encourages us to detox from processed food or offers us ‘10 easy ways’ to stop eating it. But nearly everything we consume has undergone some type of processing. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: If most of what we eat is processed, can it really be that unhealthy for us? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

A mummified man found in the mountains of Italy on a nutrition science podcast? Have we gone completely off track? We haven’t - we promise. This unfortunate soul could be the key that unlocks an entirely new understanding of human health. This mummy, discovered in an alpine snow drift by two hikers, gives us a remarkable glimpse into the surprising dietary choices of our ancestors. In today’s episode, Jonathan discovers some secrets held by our ancestors by speaking to two outstanding guests: Frank Maixner works at the Institute for Mummy Studies in Italy and travels the world uncovering the secrets of our ancestors. Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Topic Introduction 01:45 - What happened thirty years ago high in the mounts on the border between Italy and Austria 03:02 - Who was the Iceman? 03:39 - What happened to him and what did we discover about him? 05:10 - How old was he and what do we know about his lifestyle? 06:01 - What was he eating? 09:02 - What’s surprising about his health? 11:56 - The Iceman & mushrooms 13:08 - Iceman’s microbiome 14:13 - The most surprising information about the Iceman’s microbiome 15:27 - What’s microbiome diversity? 17:30 - Iceman’s origins 17:56 - The start of a new academic discipline 19:41 - Finding out about salt miners 21:02 - What did these salt miners eat? 23:05 - How plant-based was their diet? 23:39 - Did they eat dairy? 25:05 - Their diet diversity 26:40 - What do their microbiomes tell us? 32:31 - What does this mean for us? What is the actionable advice? 36:24 - Summary 38:16 - Goodbyes 38:40 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Frank: https://twitter.com/frankmaixner Follow Tim: www.instagram.com/tim.spector/ Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

We’re excited for you to hear our NEW bitesize podcast: ZOE Shorts. Some of you requested some short-form episodes, so we delivered! In between the longer episodes, Jonathan teams up with world-leading nutrition researcher and podcast regular Dr Sarah Berry to tackle one hot topic from nutrition science in just 15 minutes. From saturated fats to vitamins, time-restricted eating and much more, find out the history, the different sides of the argument and, of course, hear what the latest science says from ZOE Science and Nutrition. Think of this podcast as a convenient, healthy snack: easy to consume but keeping you full throughout the day with bitesize nutrition advice and entertainment! Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ If you want to uncover the right foods for your body, head to joinzoe.com/podcast and get 10% off your personalised nutrition program. This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

From blueberries to salmon, kale to acai, it seems like anything and everything can be classed as a superfood these days. Supposedly they can prevent cancer, reduce inflammation, and even help you live longer… In today’s short episode of ZOE Science and Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah look at the history of superfoods and ask: are some foods really more ‘super’ than others? Or is this just another marketing ploy? Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide 10% off your personalised nutrition program. This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

It’s a biological process that we need to stay alive. Yet too much of it leads to disease and a shorter life. Inflammation is the immune system’s response to an outside event it thinks is dangerous. This stimulus could be an injury, like falling off your bike or an infection by a virus or bacteria. But inflammation can also be triggered by our food in the hours after we eat. But if this natural process is required to protect us from infections and injuries, why is inflammation usually cast in a negative light? Is there something behind this, or is the idea that inflammation is bad a lie, designed to sell magic potions with dubious evidence? In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to two show regulars to unravel all the information about inflammation: Dr. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition, who has personally run over 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:09 - Topic Introduction 02:30 - Quickfire questions 04:27 - What is inflammation, why does it happen, and why it’s not always bad 10:38 - How is diet related to inflammation? 14:15 - Microbiome and inflammation 19:31 - What does prolonged inflammation do to your health? 23:06 - Can inflammation affect our weight? 25:24 - How does inflammation affect aging and menopause? 29:21 - How do we reduce our dietary inflammation? 33:26 - Should we exclude foods to reduce inflammation? 37:06 - Summary 38:49 - Goodbyes 38:52 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberry Follow Tim: https://twitter.com/timspector Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions

It’s no exaggeration to say that bread shaped modern humanity - it was the cultivation of wheat for flour that transformed our ancestors from hunter-gatherers to city dwellers. Today, millions of us start the day with a slice of toast, and most lunches in the US and UK are wrapped in a slice of bread or a burger bun as a cheap, flexible, and delicious energy source. But modern industrial processes designed to reduce the time and cost of baking mean today’s bread would be unrecognizable to our ancestors. Today’s bread tastes good but has lost most of its nutritional content. With most of its fiber gone, and no time for bacteria to work its fermenting magic, bread has become a simple starch, rapidly turned into sugar in our blood and offering little to support our gut bacteria. For this reason, bread is increasingly demonized as an evil carb. In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to two authorities on the subject to ask: Can bread can ever be healthy? Vanessa Kimbel is a specialist in personalised bread and her doctorate in nutrition & digestabilty of bread is in Baking as Lifestyle Medicine & preventative healthcare. Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:09 - Topic introduction 02:14 - Quickfire questions 04:08 - Why bread matters 05:23 - Is bread empty calories? 08:46 - What is bread? 11:30 - What is bran? 12:16 - The difference between the types of grains 14:19 - What is the impact of bread on our microbes? 17:03 - What should you look for in bread? 18:50 - What sort of bread should you look for? 20:10 - Supermarket bread is not fresh! 20:42 - On gluten intolerance 23:11 - How should we think about sourdough? 32:29 - How to know whether sourdough is real or fake? 35:47 - Practical advice on how to choose bread 38:54 - Summary 40:43 - Goodbyes 40:55 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Vanessa: https://www.instagram.com/vanessakimbell/ Follow Tim: https://twitter.com/timspector Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Coffee’s earliest consumption dates back millennia when the tribesmen of Ethiopia used its ground-up berries to help aid concentration during prayer. Arriving in Europe in the 17th century, Coffee quickly began to replace beer and wine as a favourite breakfast drink. In the 20th century, coffee was blamed for high blood pressure and heart attacks, and more recently linked to a rising epidemic of poor sleep. None of this has prevented coffee’s relentless rise. Over 2 billion cups of the stuff are drunk each day. So, is coffee a guilty treat as many of us suspect? Or is it a health drink feeding your good gut bacteria? In this episode, Jonathan speaks with James Hoffmann and Tim Spector to find out. They discuss how coffee affects your gut bacteria, your hormones and your heart, whether decaffeinated coffee is healthy, and discover some of coffee’s most surprising side effects – which could come in handy if you find yourself in the jungle. James Hoffmann is a leading coffee expert and author of the World Atlas of Coffee and co-founder & chairman of the Square Mile Coffee Roasters. Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:11 - Topic introduction 01:54 - Quickfire questions 03:30 - What is coffee and why are we willing to spend money on it? 04:51 - Views on coffee 08:07 - Health properties of coffee 10:24 - How is coffee made? 14:32 - Quantities of caffeine in beverages 16:12 - How important is fermentation for coffee flavor? 17:20 - What does the fermentation stage look like? 19:51 - Fiber & coffee 24:00 - Effects of coffee 24:54 - How much is too much coffee? 26:39 - What time is the best to drink coffee? 30:32 - What is decaf and is it safe? 34:03 - Does James drink decaf? 34:44 - Is decaf as healthy as caffeinated coffee? 36:01 - Does coffee quality matter? 37:00 - James' coffee preference 38:15 - Health side effects of coffee 40:25 - Is it healthy to mix coffee with milk? 42:48 - James' opinion on coffee with milk 44:31 - Summary 46:39 - Instagram question: Does coffee dehydrate you? 47:00 - Goodbyes 47:17 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow James: https://www.instagram.com/jimseven/ Follow Tim: https://twitter.com/timspector Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions

You may have heard there are bugs in your gut. But do they matter? Today, the evidence shows the answer is a resounding yes. This ecosystem of tiny microbes living in our bodies is one of the most exciting areas in medical research, linked to everything from metabolic to mental health. So while many of us have heard that gut health is essential, few of us understand why and what we should do to support our gut bacteria. In this episode, Jonathan speaks with Will Bulsiewicz to find out when our microbiome begins to form, the most effective ways to support our gut health, and the role these gut bacteria play in controlling our weight. Will Bulsiewicz is a board-certified gastroenterologist, and New York Times bestselling author of the microbiome book Fiber Fueled. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:11 - Topic introduction 01:29 - Quickfire questions 02:55 - What is the microbiome? 08:51 - The role of the microbiome? 11:52 - The microbiome as an organ? 17:01 - Why does the microbiome matter? 21:01 - How does the microbiome affect our metabolism and weight? 24:12 - Do we have a microbiome before we are born? How does it develop? 32:44 - What can you do to improve your gut health? 35:55 - Analyzing the microbiome to know more about your relationships 39:24 - 3 health tips to improve our microbiomes 41:42 - Summary 44:40 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Will: https://www.instagram.com/theguthealthmd/ Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Today we’re talking about fat, a delicious component of our food with a terrible reputation. Fats have been broadly associated with weight gain and heart disease until recently. A mountain of new scientific evidence suggests this is wrong and that it's not as simple as ‘all fat is bad’. Indeed, eating more healthy fat might actually reduce heart disease for many people. In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to Dr Sarah Berry to learn about what science tells us today, whether it is possible to lose weight on a high-fat diet, what oils we should be cooking with, and the different types of fats. Dr. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition, who has personally run over 20 randomised clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 02:50 - Episode Start 03:08 - Quickfire round 04:54 - Can fat ever be healthy? 08:53 - Is it possible to put on weight if you’re on a low-fat diet? 10:50 - Food accessibility & bioaccessibility 13:22 - Understanding the caloric data of fats 19:25 - Fats’ relationship with cholesterol 23:40 - Food labels aren't necessarily helpful 27:45 - What are the best oils to cook with? 33:04 - Are there any dangers of cooking with oil? 37:43 - Are eggs safe? 38:56 - Is fish good for you? 42:26 - Summary 45:59 - Goodbyes 46:28 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberry Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Our transformation into coach potatoes happened in the blink of an eye. Only 100 years ago, most people relied on manual work to make their living. Today, things are different. Many of us live our lives in front of a screen. Online shopping and remote work mean some of us don’t need to leave the house at all. So how bad is this for us? The answer is now clear: Low levels of physical activity lead to an increased risk of disease and a lower quality of life in older age. However, when we come to the question of what sort of exercise you should be doing, how often, and how much it contributes to weight loss, the answers might surprise you. In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to a Human Physiologist to learn about the interactions between diet and exercise and their impact on human health: Dr. Javier Gonzalez is an associate professor of Human Physiology at the University of Bath and also a technical advisor to the athletes in the INEOS Tour de France cycling team. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Episode start: quickfire round 03:45 - Why does exercise matter? 04:42 - How much exercise do you need to see health benefits? 05:40 - Defining exercise 08:16 - How much walking to do to see health benefits? 09:03 - What is cardio training & strength training? 10:41 - Differences between cardio and strength training 12:18 - Importance of strength training 15:28 - Is exercise or nutrition more important for weight loss? 18:03 - Dr. Javier’s research on fasting & exercise 22:16 - Should we exercise in a fasted state? 25:26 - Fasting and bone health 26:35 - What can we learn from professional athletes? 28:03 - How does glycogen get produced? 31:55 - How does exercise relate to gut health? 33:09 - What we should eat to benefit from exercise 35:40 - How to think about protein intake 37:26 - How should non-athletes think about food to complement their exercise 40:51 - Personalization & differences between men & women 43:57 - How important is exercising for menopausal women? 45:56 - Summary 51:42 - Goodbyes 51:53 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Javier: https://twitter.com/gonzalez_jt Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

There's a condition that leads to an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, and early death that's been affecting people for as long as they've existed. The many symptoms can severely impact quality of life - ranging from headaches and memory problems to anxiety and weight gain. This condition affects more than half of the world's population, but unbelievably its rarely discussed and the scientific research that exists on it is limited. It's called menopause, and it affects 1.2 billion women worldwide. It's not a disease, but the effects can be just as serious for some women. Jonathan talks to the British doctor who's working to educate us about menopause and bring the discussion on the topic into the mainstream. Dr Louise Newson is a GP, menopause specialist and founder of the Newson Health Menopause & Wellbeing Center. Director of the Balance Menopause App and the non-profit Newson Health Research and Education. Founder of The Menopause Charity. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:09 - Jonathan Intro 01:11 - Episode start 01:24 - What is menopause and why is it important for Dr Louise 04:17 - Being hormone-deficient is bleak 07:27 - The overall scale of menopause 12:41 - What is HRT? 17:24 - How little menopause is talked about 19:30 - Dr Louise’s push for menopause understanding & education 23:02 -What’s the accurate test for perimenopause? 28:10 - Understanding hormone deficiency symptoms 31:58 - What else can you do besides HRT: Nutrition considerations 41:09 - Does your body shape change while menopausal? 41:55 - Summary 44:06 - Goodbyes 44:31 - Outro Episode transcripts can be found here. Dr Louise’s non-profit organisation about improving and understanding women’s hormone health: https://www.nhmenopausesociety.org Check Dr Louise’s app on perimenopause and menopause: https://www.balance-menopause.com Follow Louise: https://twitter.com/drlouisenewson Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

For many of us, it's a ritual to help us wind down after a long day, an excuse to catch up with friends, or a lubricant to an awkward social situation. Alcohol can be delicious, but our relationship with it is often complicated. Good times with friends aren’t without sacrifice, and many of us feel the morning after impact of a few too many drinks. For an unfortunate minority, alcohol can lead to addiction and even death. What we want to know is, can alcohol ever be healthy? Is any amount of alcohol a sure path to an early grave, or could a glass of red wine be the best thing for your heart health? This episode examines these contradictions to see what the science says. Jonathan speaks to two leading scientists to better understand the effects of alcohol: Tim Spector - scientific co-founder at Zoe and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world Dr. Sarah Berry - one of the world's leading experts in human nutrition, with over 30 randomised human clinical trials to her name Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Jonathan’s introduction 01:25 - Episode start 01:45 - Tim’s favourite alcohol 02:24 - Is red wine healthy? 04:56 - How does alcohol relate to our microbiomes? 08:41 - What’s the cause of alcohol's positive effects? 11:16 - The importance of the amount of alcohol consumed 15:47 - Understanding the adverse effects of alcohol 17:48 - Why do hangovers get worse with age? 21:41 - Does alcohol influence weight? 24:48 - Alcoholic beers vs non-alcoholic beers in relation to sugar 28:34 - Avoid alcohol if you have these conditions! 29:54 - How does fermentation of beer differ from kombucha? 32:21 - Organic and natural wine 35:10 - Summary 38:03 - Outro Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberry Follow Tim: https://twitter.com/timspector Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

This plant has been used by human beings for thousands of years with samples found in 5000-year-old pottery discovered in the upper Amazon. The Mayans considered it a gift from the gods and used it in their sacred ceremonies, where it was believed to have mystical healing powers. For the Aztecs, it was worth more than gold and given to their victorious warriors. We are talking, of course, about chocolate. Even though our relationship with chocolate spans thousands of years we still can’t agree about it. It seems obvious that something so delicious must be bad for us. Can there be any truth to the claims that chocolate can improve our mood, our health and even our libido? Jonathan speaks to Professor Tim Spector, one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists and author of the diet myth, and Spencer Hyman, one of the world’s leading chocolate experts and founder of the craft chocolate business Cocoa Runners. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:10 - Jonathan’s introduction 01:19 - Lighting round questions, with true/false answers 05:49 - Why certain chocolates might be good 06:34 - What is fermentation? 09:54 - Which kinds of chocolates are good or bad for you? 12:14 - How to figure out the differences in chocolates 14:12 - Why is are chocolates classified the way they are 16:20 - Considerations about dark chocolate 20:38 - Personalized responses to chocolate 23:39 - On chocolate addiction 24:55 - How to taste chocolate 28:10 - Is smell an indicator as to what happens in our microbiomes? 31:52 - 3 things you should know when buying chocolate 33:17 - Description of chocolate in nature 37:15 - Sugar in chocolate 40:29 - Is fruit and nut milk chocolate healthier than dark chocolate? 41:27 - How much chocolate do you need for it to be beneficial? 42:59 - Should I watch out for lecithins in chocolate? 44:52 - Is eating half a bar of chocolate before bed a bad idea? 46:24 - Goodbyes & Outro Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

1 in 5 people suffer from food intolerances, a figure that’s growing each year. As a result, people are eating increasingly restricted diets, removing dairy, gluten and many other foods from their plates. Unfortunately, they end up eating highly processed foods that damage their gut microbiome and lead to long-term health problems. Even with food restrictions, many people see limited improvements in their symptoms. The whole topic of intolerance is full of pseudoscience, dubious blood tests, and miracle cures. However, in the last few years, we have seen a revolution in our understanding, with gut bacteria now the stars of the show. This new understanding has profound implications for how we should treat our food intolerances. Today we’ll focus on what the latest science says. Jonathan is joined by Will Bulsiewicz, board-certified gastroenterologist, New York Times best-selling author and ZOE's science board member, whose latest book is all about food intolerance. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:09 - Jonathan’s introduction 01:29 - Quick-fire questions 03:43 - What are food allergies and intolerances? 10:33 - The rise of food allergies and intolerances 14:38 - Training your microbes 17:13 - How do I know if I have a food intolerance? 19:37 - The difficulty of managing your diet and reintroducing foods 21:26 - Can you fix these food intolerances? 23:01 - The counter-intuitive approach to improving allergies and intolerances 24:54 - What can parents do to prevent allergies in their children? 25:39 - How do FODMAPs relate to the step by step exposure concept? 26:26 - What is a FODMAP? 27:34 - FODMAP examples 27:59 - FODMAP intolerance considerations 29:43 - Celiac disease tests 30:36 - Can FODMAPs tolerance be increased? 31:40 - What is histamine intolerance and what can you do about it? 40:15 - Summary 44:22 - Goodbyes 44:34 - Outro Read Will Bulsiewicz’s cookbook, “Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome” in all major bookstores. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Welcome to the brand-new podcast from ZOE, the people behind the world's largest scale nutrition study. ZOE Science & Nutrition is the podcast where the world’s top scientists explain the latest health, nutrition, and gut health research in terms we can all understand. So join us every other Thursday on this journey of scientific discovery! Scientists featured in this trailer: Will Bulsiewicz & Tim Spector OBE. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/