The Smart Human with Dr. Aly Cohen

Ashley Koff, RD is the founder of The Better Nutrition Program (BNP), the Nutrition Course Director for UC Irvine's Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute's Integrative and Functional Medicine Fellowship, and a faculty member at the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy (IFNA), where she teaches "An Integrative and Functional Nutrition Approach to Obesity and Weight Management." She is also the author of the upcoming book, Your Best Shot (Harper One, January 6, 2026). A practitioner for over 25 years, Koff is leading a transformative movement in personalized nutrition, turning "better, not perfect" choices into practical, sustainable strategies that deliver real health outcomes. Through patient stories and personal experience, she shows that optimal health is not just possible—it's essential to living your fullest life. Koff has been recognized as one of CNN's Top 100 Health Makers, featured in InStyle as "Hollywood's Leading Dietitian," and has been selected as Westin's Global Nutrition Ambassador.

In this episode of The Smart Human Podcast, host Aly welcomes Dr. Robin Mesnage, a toxicologist and research fellow at King's College London, to discuss the toxicology and pharmacology of glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup. The conversation delves into the effects of glyphosate on the microbiome and cellular health, vulnerable periods of exposure, and ways to reduce exposure. Dr. Mesnage also shares insights from a significant 2025 rat study highlighting the carcinogenicity of glyphosate. The discussion extends to the broader implications of pesticide use on human health, food safety, and agricultural practices. Practical tips for reducing exposure to glyphosate and other chemicals at home are also provided. 00:00 Introduction to the Smart Human Podcast 00:50 Meet Dr. Robin Mesnage: Toxicologist and Research Fellow 01:31 Groundbreaking Glyphosate Study 02:27 Study Design and Findings 03:36 Implications of Glyphosate on Human Health 10:20 Glyphosate in Agriculture and Its Widespread Use 17:04 Glyphosate's Impact on the Gut Microbiome 20:58 Daily Exposure to Glyphosate 24:06 Protecting Vulnerable Populations 26:21 Environmental and Airborne Exposure 29:33 The Glyphosate Controversy: Legal Battles and Health Concerns 32:34 The Impact of Glyphosate on Agriculture and Sustainability 36:24 Organic Farming and Certification Standards 39:14 Practical Tips to Reduce Glyphosate Exposure 51:59 The Importance of Healthy Lifestyle and Vulnerable Populations 53:54 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 🔹 What glyphosate is and why Roundup matters 🔹 How widely glyphosate is used in farming and gardening 🔹 Air, water, and environmental impacts 🔹 How glyphosate works at the cellular level 🔹 Its effect on the gut microbiome 🔹 Links to cancer and other health concerns 🔹 Highlights from a major new glyphosate study 🔹 Where it appears in food and drinking water 💦 🔹 How to reduce everyday exposure 🔹 Why organic farming and USDA certification matter 🔹 How healthy habits support detoxification Robin Mesnage Scientific Director at Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinics, The Fasting Experts Research Fellow in the Department of Nutrition, King's College London Scientific Director, Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinics Unleash the self-healing abilities of your body with fasting! I am the scientific director of the Buchinger Wilhelmi clinic, which specializes in therapeutic fasting. I oversee the research and development activities to scientifically document the health effects of fasting, develop new therapeutic strategies, and most importantly empower our patients to live healthy and fulfilling lives. With over 10 years of experience in molecular biology and bioinformatics, I have the ability to leverage data to optimize fasting protocols, monitor patient outcomes, and identify novel biomarkers for personalized healthcare. Research at King's College London I also collaborate with the Department of Nutrition at King's College London, where I hold a visiting research fellow position. I work with Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos to investigate the role of the gut microbiome in the health benefits of plant foods and phytochemicals. Scientific Editor I am a keynote speaker, regularly offering lectures on scientific topics. I have served as an expert on the regulation of human health effects of chemical pollutants for the French government and occasionally for the European Parliament. My research has resulted in the publication of over 100 scientific articles, cited more than 8,000 times. I have authored and edited the book Herbicides: Chemistry, Efficacy, Toxicology, and Environmental Impacts which offers a comprehensive overview of herbicide toxicology presented by internationally recognized experts. Altogether, I am among the top 1 percent of cited scientists worldwide for my work on the health effects of pollution. Studies PDFs: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12150505/pdf/12940_2025_Article_1187.pdf https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8883356/pdf/kfab143.pdf #GutHealth #microbiome #CleanEating, #OrganicFood, #PublicHealth

In this episode, we discuss: ●How sleep and diet directly influence each other. ●How specific dietary patterns and specific nutrients can improve sleep, and how processed foods may worsen it. ●Ways you can restore the body through REM support for memory and learning. ●How aging and menopause influence sleep ●How light exposure therapy works and how light at night (LAN) can disrupt sleep cycles ●How common disorders like sleep apnea disrupt sleep cycles and how they can be managed effectively. ●How consistent routines, stress reduction, and a healthy environment improve sleep quality. ●If naps are a good idea….and under which circumstances you can maximize their benefits? ●How adequate sleep quality & quantity supports weight regulation, metabolism, and overall heart health. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D, CCSH, FAHA Professor of Nutritional Medicine Director, Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Irving Medical Center Address: 622 West- 168 th Street, PH9-103H New York, NY 10032 E-mail: ms2554@cumc.columbia.edu Dr. St-Onge is the founding Director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep Circadian Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The overall focus of her research is the study of the impact of lifestyle, specifically sleep and diet, on cardio-metabolic risk factors. Dr. St-Onge has been NIH-funded since 2008, conducting innovative, cutting-edge clinical research combining her expertise on sleep, nutrition, and energy balance regulation to address questions related to the role of circadian rhythms, including sleep duration and timing as well as meal timing and eating patterns, on cardiometabolic risk. She has strong expertise in the conduct of controlled inpatient and outpatient studies of sleep and dietary manipulations. Dr. St-Onge was Center Director for the American Heart Association funded Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Center, aimed at determining the causality of the relation between sleep and cardiovascular disease and the specific role that sleep plays in the health of women throughout the life cycle. She is a pioneer in this field, having chaired the first scientific statements endorsed by the AHA on sleep and cardiometabolic health as well as meal timing and frequency and cardiovascular disease risk prevention. She is the recipient of an NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award and a standing member of the Human Studies of Diabetes and Obesity Study Section at the NIH.

David Winston, an esteemed herbalist with over 50 years of experience, dives into the fascinating world of herbal medicine. He shares insights on integrating herbs safely into conventional care, discusses risks like herb-drug interactions, and outlines when it’s best to consult an herbalist. Winston emphasizes the importance of diet and lifestyle as foundations for health and reveals his favorite herbs for common issues. Learn about the balance of tradition and science in herbalism, and discover how to find reputable practitioners.

Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S. is the former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). After retirement, she was granted scientist emeritus status and still maintains a laboratory. As a board-certified toxicologist, Birnbaum served as a federal scientist for 40 years. Prior to her appointment as NIEHS and NTP Director in 2009, she spent 19 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she directed the largest division focusing on environmental health research. Birnbaum has received many awards and recognitions. In 2016, she was awarded the North Carolina Award in Science. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health. She was also elected to the Collegium Ramazzini, an independent, international academy comprised of internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health and received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Rochester and a Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Illinois. She has also received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Rhode Island, Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and Amity University, India; the Surgeon General's Medallion 2014; and 14 Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards, which reflect the recommendations of EPA's external Science Advisory Board, for specific publications. Dr. Birnbaum recently received the Winslow Award, the highest honor from the Yale School of Public Health and was elected an AAAS Fellow. She has also received numerous awards from professional societies and citizen's groups. Birnbaum is an active member of the scientific community. She was vice president of the International Union of Toxicology, the umbrella organization for toxicology societies in more than 50 countries, and former president of the Society of Toxicology, the largest professional organization of toxicologists in the world. She is the author of more than 1000 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, abstracts, and reports. Birnbaum's own research focuses on the pharmacokinetic behavior of environmental chemicals, mechanisms of action of toxicants including endocrine disruption, and linking of real-world exposures to health effects. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland in Australia, the School of Public Health of Yale University, the Gillings School of Global Public Health, the Curriculum in Toxicology, and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as in the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program at Duke University where she is also a Scholar in Residence. A native of New Jersey, Birnbaum received her M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

…🤩 another episode of The Smart Human podcast🎙️ has just been released! I'm talking with John Abramson MD about medications💊- the drug approval process, conflicts of interest, statin use, and so much more! Link to YouTube👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eQWKbgre Link to audio recording👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eG_ZUi8f 👉🏽In this episode: 🔹The influence of drug companies on medical journals and evidence-based medicine. 🔹The alarming story of the drug Vioxx, its misrepresentation in clinical trials, and the resulting harm to patients. 🔹The FDA medical peer review process. 🔹The problematic relationship between healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies - transparency, data analysis, and clinical decisions. 🔹Lifestyle modification benefits and the over-reliance on medications. 🔹Reforms in the healthcare system to prioritize patient well-being over profits. After completing a residency in Family Medicine and a 2-year Robert Wood Johnson fellowship, Dr. John Abramson practiced as a family physician for 20 years in a small town an hour north of Boston. He also served for 7 years as chair of the department of family practice at Lahey Clinic. He was on the Harvard Medical School faculty from 1997-2023, most recently as a Lecturer in the Department of Health Care Policy. In 2002, after becoming aware of the uncorrected misrepresentations about the benefits and dangers of Vioxx and Celebrex in our most respected medical journals, Dr. Abramson left his practice to devote his full attention to researching the quality of the information doctors must rely on. In September 2004 he published Overdo$ed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine. Just one week later, Vioxx was withdrawn in the biggest drug recall ever, but not before it had killed between 40 and 60,000 Americans, despite providing no better relief than inexpensive OTC anti-inflammatory drugs. From 2005 through the present, Dr. Abramson has continued his research and served as an expert in litigation involving prescription drugs and medical devices, with each case giving him access to millions of pages of confidential corporate documents and unreleased clinical trial data. He has also served as a consultant to the FBI and U. S. Department of Justice, including a case that led to what was, at the time, the largest criminal fine in U.S. history. Dr. Abramson has published multiple articles in peer reviewed journals, made numerous national media appearances, and written many op-ed pieces, including 2 in the New York Times. His main research interest is the extent to which the commercial takeover of medical knowledge, primarily by the drug companies, is compromising the quality of medical information available to even the most dedicated doctors, harming our health, and wasting enormous amounts of Americans' wealth. In February 2022 Dr. Abramson published his second book, Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It. #medical #safety #bigpharma

Joel Warsh, MD, MSc aka DrJoelGator https://www.instagram.com/drjoelgator/ of the popular parenting Instagram account is a Board-Certified Pediatrician in Los Angeles, California who specializes in Parenting, Wellness and Integrative Medicine. He is the author of Parenting at Your Child's Pace: The Integrative Pediatrician's Guide to the First Three Years. #parenting #wellness #medical

Deanna Minich, PhD, is a nutrition scientist, international lecturer, educator, and author, with over twenty years of experience in academia and the food and dietary supplement industries, and currently the Chief Science Officer at Symphony Natural Health. She has been active as a functional medicine clinician in clinical trials and in her own practice (Food & Spirit™). She is the author of seven consumer books on wellness topics, four book chapters, and over fifty scientific publications. Through her talks, workshops, groups, and in-person retreats, she helps people to transform their lives practically and artfully through nutrition and lifestyle. Visit her at: www.deannaminich.com #healthyliving #nutrition #health

Jeanne Lenzer is an award-winning independent medical investigative journalist and author whose hard-hitting investigations and analyses have appeared in medical journals, such as The BMJ and the Journal of Family Practice, and in outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, the Atlantic, Washington Monthly, Newsweek Japan, Mother Jones, and Discover. Her first book, The Danger Within Us: America's Untested, Unregulated Medical Device Industry and One Man's Battle to Survive It, explores themes that have been at the heart of Lenzer's work over the past three decades: the intersection of money and medicine and how profiteering distorts medical science and undermines the public health, often by gaming or misrepresenting research to obtain a desired outcome. The book served as a basis for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' award-winning Implant Files project on medical devices and for the Netflix show, Bleeding Edge . It was used by John Oliver for his segment on medical devices as well as by the television show, The Resident for segments on the vagus nerve stimulator. It was favorably reviewed by Jerome Groopman in The New Yorker. Her investigations have revealed hidden financial ties between industry and public institutions, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. In each instance, she documented flawed scientific recommendations that serve to protect profits over public health. Examples include the CDC's recommendation for oseltamivir (Roche, Tamiflu), a campaign that was paid for by Roche; and the FDA's approval of drugs over the (sometimes unanimous) recommendations of their own scientists - after being contacted by politicians beholden to manufacturers. http://www.jeannelenzer.com/

Maria "Adi" Benito is an integrative adult endocrinologist and the director of Princeton Integrative Endocrinology. After her residency in Internal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital (1997-2000) (University of Pennsylvania Health System), she completed a Fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania (200-2004) and a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (2008-2010). She has attended David Winston's Center for Herbal studies (2012-2014 )and the Khalsa Healing Arts and Yoga Center (meditation teacher training 2005-2006). Adi joined the fellowship faculty of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (University of Arizona) in 2012. She developed and authored the first course on Integrative endocrinology for this program. She has contributed a chapter in thyroid health to the 2nd edition of Integrative Women's health (Weil Integrative Medicine Library) and has been an invited guest reviewer for www.dr.Weil.com. Adi lectures on the integrative management of endocrine conditions including diabetes prevention and thyroid disorders to the community. She is the chief medical advisor of Eating for Your Health, a non-profit organization based in Princeton, NJ, whose mission is to help people lead healthier lives by eating deliciously prepared whole foods in a supportive setting. In her private practice, she uses an integrative approach to the management of pre-diabetes, thyroid conditions, and PCOS, blending the best of the healing arts.