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 s...
Aug 04, 2022•43 min
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.c...
Jul 27, 2022•17 min
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 ra...
Jul 21, 2022•45 min
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.ins...
Jul 14, 2022•16 min
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 diabete...
Jul 07, 2022•45 min
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 ...
Jun 30, 2022•19 min
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: Fr...
Jun 23, 2022•41 min
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 s...
Jun 16, 2022•2 min
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...
Jun 16, 2022•13 min
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 ...
Jun 09, 2022•43 min
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 an...
May 26, 2022•40 min
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...
May 12, 2022•52 min
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 m...
Apr 28, 2022•49 min
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 los...
Apr 14, 2022•50 min
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 t...
Mar 31, 2022•57 min
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...
Mar 24, 2022•48 min
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 alco...
Mar 17, 2022•43 min
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 a...
Mar 10, 2022•51 min
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...
Mar 10, 2022•48 min
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/...
Mar 10, 2022•3 min
