The Body of Evidence

Mommy forums are awash with medical misinformation. Robyn is back to discuss why some moms suggest drinking water melon juice instead of sunscreen, using castor oil to treat just about everything, and why most people seem to have forgotten that you shouldn’t give honey to a baby.   Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you! http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.   Editor:    Robyn Flynn Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos Chris’ book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer   Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information. References: 1) The Cochrane review about castor oil and pregnancy outcomes: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003099.pub2/full 2) A primer on the concept of immune amnesia and the complications of measles:  https://hms.harvard.edu/news/inside-immune-amnesia  

Sophie joins Chris to unpack a new study about using stem cell derived cells transplanted into the pancreas of people with Type 1 diabetes. The early results showed 10 of the 12 patients who got the transplant no longer needed insulin. But the therapy comes with some risks because nothing in medicine is risk free. Is there a cure for a diabetes? Is it possible to treat diabetes without changing your diet? Listen to the episode to find out! Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you! http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.   Editor:    Robyn Flynn Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos Chris’ book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer   Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information. References: Links to the original story: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/health/diabetes-cure-insulin-stem-cell.html  (behind a paywall) https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/woman-off-insulin-for-type-1-diabetes-after-a-single-dose-of-experimental-manufactured-stem-cells/    (free)   The publication in the New England Journal of Medicine https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2506549

What is metabolism and does it “slow down” as we age? Can you hack your metabolism, as many social media influencers suggest? Guest co-host Pedro Mendes joins Dr. Chris Labos to discuss what your metabolism actually is, how you measure it, whether it changes as we age, and whether there is anything we can do that actually affects it. Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you! http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.   Editor:    Robyn Flynn Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos Chris’ book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer   Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.  

Stephanie Simoes is back to tell us about her new social media simulator, a kid-friendly mock social media feed filled with clickbait, logical fallacies, and dubious claims. The goal of the simulator is to teach kids how to surf the web safely and identify scams, tricks and fake news. Also, she throws a few more riddles Dr. Chris’ way. Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you! http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.   Editor:    Robyn Flynn Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos Chris’ book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer   Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.  

Sarah Scheinman, host of the Unbiased Science podcast, brings a keen scientific perspective to the debate around cholesterol denialism. The conversation explores the puzzling evolution of skepticism towards cholesterol science, including a look at infamous skeptics and their influence. They humorously critique classic literature while discussing the complexities of cholesterol, statin effectiveness, and the historical context of cholesterol research. The episode highlights the challenges of changing entrenched beliefs in health and science today.

A new study claims that vitamin D can treat multiple sclerosis. But is this trial groundbreaking or an outlier? Dr. Chris Labos finds that the answer is far more complicated than a simple “yes” or “no”. Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you! http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.   Editor:    Robyn Flynn Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos Chris’ book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer   Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information. References: The D-Lay MS randomized trial:   https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2831270 The Mendelian Randomization study of vitamin D https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/NXG.0000000000000097 The early 2012 study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22354743/  The SOLAR study:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31594857/  The CHOLINE  study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31454777/  The VIDAMS study:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37125397/  The 2024 study on clinically isolated syndrome:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38085047/   

Grey’s Anatomy had a lot of fascinating medical cases… in between all the sex and work drama. After investing 20 years of her life watching the show, guest co-host Robyn Flynn puts some of the weirdest cases she’s ever seen on the show to Dr. Chris Labos to find out which ones were based on real cases, which were absolutely impossible, and which ones had valuable teaching lessons built in.   Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you! http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/ https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE   Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.   Editor:    Robyn Flynn Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos Chris’ book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer   Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.