You might think what you eat and when are the only factors that play into the health of your diet. But recent research has shown that who you eat with can also play a role. And it could even make your food taste better!In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: Can eating with other people really improve your food? Studies referenced in today’s episode:  Associations of family feeding and mealtime practices with children's overall diet quality, published in Appetite here ‘Diet and Health Benefits Associated with In-Home Eating and Sharing Meals at Home’ from International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health here ‘The Protective Role of Family Meals for Youth Obesity: 10-year Longitudinal Associations’ from the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services here Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/Follow Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahberry/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

What should I have for dinner? A question you no doubt ask yourself daily. But I bet you don't spend too long coming up with an answer. ZOE's scientific co-founder, Tim Spector, has been trying to answer this question for a decade.If you're a regular listener, you probably know him well. Five years ago, he published the best-selling book, The Diet Myth, and just last month, he released the follow-up, Food for Life, the New Science of Eating Well. In this episode, you'll hear a chapter from the book titled “So Now What Should I Have for Dinner?” 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 Get Tim’s book here.Timecodes:00:00 - Intro01:44 - Chapter 11. So now what should I have for dinner? 14:00 - Personalizing my diet26:15 - Five final tips27:00 - Outro--Follow Tim on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tim.spectorEpisode transcripts are available here.This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

The last decade saw a rise in gluten-free diets. But the number of us with diagnosed gluten intolerance each year hasn’t changed. Eliminating gluten is the only treatment for those with celiac disease, but the rest of us could be doing more harm than good by embracing ultra-processed, gluten-free foods. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Will ask: Should you be worried about gluten?Studies referenced in the episode:  ‘Health Benefits and Adverse Effects of a Gluten-Free Diet in Non–Celiac Disease Patients’ from Gastroenterol & Hepatology here ‘The Gluten-Free Diet: Recognizing Fact, Fiction, and Fad’ from The Journal of Pediatrics here ’Is There Evidence to Support the Claim that a Gluten-Free Diet Should Be Used for Weight Loss?’ from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics here 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.

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 - Intro00:33 - Episode start01:22 - Quickfire questions02:48 - What’s the biggest myth about sleep»04:09 - What is sleep?07:46 - Why do we sleep?10:29 - REM14:22 - How does Matt study sleep?16:18 - What happens when you don’t get enough sleep?22:48 - Collaboration with ZOE28:16 - Sleep and menopause32:38 - Tips on how to sleep better33:23 - Sleep regularity35:12 - How do you find out about your chronotype?37:20 - Bedroom temperature38:04 - Lighting39:04 - Caffeine and Alcohol effects on sleep44:22 - Making your room like a cave44:57 - The influence of screens on your sleep47:03 - Summary48:14 - Goodbyes48:35 - OutroGet 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 - Introduction02:29 - Quickfire questions04:27 - 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 research14:07 - About vitamin C15:15 - Megadosing19:51 - VITAL and COSMOS trials25:13 - Should we take vitamin D27:37 - Omega-332:48 - Variation & personalization36:51 - Actionable advice on supplements38:45 - Should children take supplements?42:13 - Should we all take a standard dose multivitamin?44:54 - Summary46:25 - Goodbyes46:57 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Check the trials mentioned in today’s episode: AREDS 2, COSMOS, Physicians' Health Study II, VITALFollow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberryFollow 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 - Introduction02:05 - Quickfire questions03:26 - Are there links between the gut and the brain?06:31 - The gut-brain axis09:17 - 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 behavior29:54 - Actionable advice34:43 - Microbiome in adolescence37:18 - Summary38:26 - Goodbyes38:48 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Follow John: https://twitter.com/jfcryanFollow 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 - Intro00:13 - Topic introduction02:21 - Quickfire questions04:10 - 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 kimchi19:00 - What is kefir?20:25 - Why are fermented foods good for our health24:19 - 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 foods42:42 - Summary44:17 - Listener’s question: What’s the most unusual food that you’ve fermented?45:16 - Goodbyes45:24 - OutroEpisode 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.