The Body of Evidence

A discussion around ice cream reveals that Jonathan may have fallen into the Twilight Zone. Comedian Jacob Meza goes to ComicCon to talk diet pills and accidentally meets "a good swallower" he knows. Back in the studio, the boys discuss the green coffee bean marketing apocalypse; how to spot fake diet pills; and genuine pharmaceuticals that may kill you, give you hallucinations, or make you leak. The biggest question is: will losing 10 pounds make a difference to your health? Also: hot yoga (not to be confused with goat yoga) and an injectable drug for women who want… to want to have sex. Vox pop by Jacob Meza, host of Comedy Crowd Off, the Heckling Game Show. Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called "Digressions"! Check it out! References: Retracted Green Coffee Bean paper: http://www.dovepress.com/retraction-randomized-double-blind-placebo-controlled-linear-dose-peer-reviewed-article-DMSO FTC complaint against green coffee bean makers: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/09/green-coffee-bean-manufacturer-settles-ftc-charges-pushing-its Dr. Oz statement: https://www.doctoroz.com/page/recent-developments-regarding-green-coffee-extract Cochrane review on GLP agonists: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=21975753

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the McGill Office for Science and Society, a university-backed office dedicated to separating sense from nonsense, Jonathan moderated a panel discussion entitled "Talking Science in the Age of Fake News". The panelists were Prof. Joe Schwarcz, the director of the Office; Timothy Caulfield, host of a User's Guide to Cheating Death on Netflix; Carly Weeks, health reporter for The Globe & Mail newspaper; and Ryan Armstrong, director of Bad Science Watch. They discussed trends in pseudoscience; how men and women are differently targeted by bunk; stem cells; newspapers running ads for quackery; false balance in the media; native advertising; the opioid crisis; deplatforming an antivaxxer; social media momentum; academic apathy; when scientists talk to journalists; mandatory childhood immunizations; chiropractors self-regulating; hate mail; Deepak Chopra; and whom should the public trust? To watch the video for the entire event (which included a look back at the history of the McGill OSS and flash talks from each of the panelists): https://youtu.be/aztSt-hnS9I Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

An unexplained bout of amnesia leads Jonathan to completely change his mind about Chris' interior decoration choices. For the 50th episode of their podcast, the boys have friends over who will help them explain what's been in the news lately. A dentist and a paediatrician talk about human touch; a chemistry and gender studies double major comments on the line between male and female in competitive sport; and an Apple fanboy and his sui generis podcast co-host talk about wearables… IN MICE! Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. No bonus Patreon show this month because this episode is a mother!

Chris and Jonathan interview Timothy Caulfield, former guest of the show, health policy expert, and one of the major pro-science voices quoted in the Canadian media. They discuss solutions to vaccine hesitancy; "dancing" on Twitter; the rise of "bro science"; what recently made Tim very happy (hint: it involves the government); and Tim's new TV show. Timothy Caulfield on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaulfieldTim Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

The boys travel back to 1998 to change history (and inadvertently alter the course of cutlery). Ada speaks to autistic artists to know what the media gets wrong in its portrayal of autism. Back in the studio, Jonathan and Chris discuss why it looks like rates of autism are increasing, the likely cause of autism spectrum disorder, interventions real and imaginary, and how long you have to wait to get a diagnosis (Jonathan's reaction will surprise you). Also: what's happening with measles cases in New York; the mere thought of coffee leads to… what?; and our second winner takes home the coveted prize in our on-going raffle. Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society. Jingle by Jillian Correia of Roctavio Canada. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called "Digressions"! Check it out! Links mentioned by the artists interviewed: * AspiGurl web comic: https://aspigurl.com * Sara Luterman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/slooterman * Autistic Self-Advocacy Network: https://autisticadvocacy.org * Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network: https://awnnetwork.org * Autistics United Canada: https://www.autisticsunitedca.org * Autistics 4 Autistics Ontario: https://a4aontario.com

Jonathan and Chris interview Brian Nosek, a professor of psychology and the co-founder and director of the Center for Open Science. They discuss problems and solutions in modern scientific research, such as committing scientists… to stick to a protocol. Table of contents. 2:00 The culture of science. 4:18 Publications as currency for career advancement. 7:53 What researchers tell each other at the bar. 10:22 Cynicism. 12:48 The solution to climate change (not really). 18:24 The paper is advertising for the research. 22:16 Weaknesses of the peer review process. 23:58 One data set, many scientists, different conclusions. 27:29 Resistance to sharing. 29:52 The road to the Center for Open Science. 37:49 Signs of success. 44:10 The generational gap in openness. 46:55 Registered reports. LINKS: The Center for Open Science website: http://www.cos.io Project Implicit: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ For scientists, the Open Science Framework: http://www.osf.io Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

An ill-timed surprise spells heart trouble for our favourite cardiologist. But what exactly is a heart attack, and how does it relate to strokes and angina? Do you need a stress test? What are the warning signs of a heart attack? Is stress a trigger? And what do you do if your friend complains of chest pain, short of filming it for the 'gram? Also: eggs are no longer sunny side up in the media, but it's all due to deeply flawed data collection; the results of a local investigation into poop pills (will make sense); and the first winner of our raffle! To register for the McGill OSS' 20th Anniversary Event: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/channels/event/oss-20th-anniversary-event-talking-science-age-fake-news-295743 Vox pop by Jacob Meza of the So It Is Told podcast. Jingle by Joseph Hackl. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. This episode also featured "Are You in Heaven" by Lobo Loco. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called "Digressions"! Check it out! This episode's theme is CPR. — References Differences between men and women in the symptoms of heart attacks: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1738716 Emotional triggers of a heart attack: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7671353 Natural disaster triggers of a heart attack: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(83)91439-3/fulltext https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?8651102 Can the World Cup trigger heart attacks? Carroll D, Ebrahim S, Tilling K, Macleod J, Smith GD. Admissions for myocardial infarction and World Cup football: database survey. BMJ. 2002;325:1439–1442.

Jonathan and Chris interview Jonathan Howard, a neurologist in New York who wrote a book that will make you, the patient, understand a bit more how your doctor is thinking. Howard is interested in how the brain fires (and misfires), which led him to write this book about the biases in the thinking of doctors and patients that can lead to correct answers… but that sometimes result in errors. This episode plunges you into a real-life episode of ER, with medical scenarios that will illustrate what went wrong. It's medicine from the brain's side of the gurney! LINKS: The book: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319932231 Jonathan Howard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHowardBrainMD Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

Chris loses his mind when he misses his after-dinner cookie, which leads the boys to talk about fasting! Ada asks students about their thoughts on the issue, which range from mentioning Terry Crews to believing monks can survive for months without eating. Back in the studio, it's time to catch up on the hundreds of definitions of fasting and to answer the questions: does fasting work? compared to what? and can people stick with it? Oh, and does it make you live longer? Also: Color Genomics' DNA kit and what happens when you bypass a genetic counsellor and medical geneticist to find out if you have disease-causing mutations in your genes; young blood transfusions and the confusion over Elizabeth Bathory's fate; and our first ever contest with prizes! Don't wait 3 months to listen to this episode! Vox pop by Ada McVean of the McGill Office for Science and Society. Jingle by Jillian Kate. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called "Digressions"! Check it out!

Chris gets surprisingly aggressive (and hairy) during a football match, which leads the boys to discuss concussions. Jacob goes to a hockey game and finds a lot of people who are intimately familiar with mild traumatic brain injuries. How common are they, what's the treatment for them, and should you let someone with a concussion fall asleep? Perhaps more importantly, would you let your kid play football (or hockey)? Also: a new iteration of the Canadian Food Guide gets rid of food groups; talcum powder strikes back; probiotics make surprising appearances in our food supply if we are to believe Canadians; and a joke few people will get. It's Skeptics with a—wait, wrong show. Vox pop by Jacob Meza of the So It Is Told podcast. Jingle by Joseph Hackl. Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod. Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra. To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/. Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called "Digressions"! Check it out! — References *Studies showing that helmet use reduces injuries in sports 1. Johnston KM, McCrory P, Mohtadi NG, Meeuwisse W. Evidence-Based review of sport-related concussion: clinical science. Clin J Sport Med 2001; 11:150. 2. Sulheim S, Holme I, Ekeland A, Bahr R. Helmet use and risk of head injuries in alpine skiers and snowboarders. JAMA 2006; 295:919. 3. Russell K, Christie J, Hagel BE. The effect of helmets on the risk of head and neck injuries among skiers and snowboarders: a meta-analysis. CMAJ 2010; 182:333. 4. Hollis SJ, Stevenson MR, McIntosh AS, et al. Incidence, risk, and protective factors of mild traumatic brain injury in a cohort of Australian nonprofessional male rugby players. Am J Sports Med 2009; 37:2328. *Study of cognitive rest in adolescents post concussion Thomas DG, Apps JN, Hoffmann RG, et al. Benefits of strict rest after acute concussion: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics 2015; 135:213. *Study about prognosis post concussion Triebel KL, Martin RC, Novack TA, et al. Treatment consent capacity in patients with traumatic brain injury across a range of injury severity. Neurology 2012; 78:1472. *Studies about CTE 1. Bieniek KF, Ross OA, Cormier KA, et al. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy pathology in a neurodegenerative disorders brain bank. Acta Neuropathol 2015; 130:877. 2. Mez J, Daneshvar DH, Kiernan PT, et al. Clinicopathological Evaluation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Players of American Football. JAMA 2017; 318:360. *Study linking NFL and Alzheimer's Lehman EJ, Hein MJ, Baron SL, Gersic CM. Neurodegenerative causes of death among retired National Football League players. Neurology 2012; 79:1970.