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 lose weight on a high-fat diet, what oils we should be cooking with, and the different types of fats. Dr. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition, who has personally run over 20 randomised clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats.Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguideTimecodes:00:00 - Intro02:50 - Episode Start03:08 - Quickfire round04:54 - Can fat ever be healthy?08:53 - Is it possible to put on weight if you’re on a low-fat diet?10:50 - Food accessibility & bioaccessibility13:22 - Understanding the caloric data of fats19:25 - Fats’ relationship with cholesterol23:40 - Food labels aren't necessarily helpful27:45 - What are the best oils to cook with?33:04 - Are there any dangers of cooking with oil?37:43 - Are eggs safe?38:56 - Is fish good for you?42:26 - Summary45:59 - Goodbyes 46:28 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberryFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

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 the question of what sort of exercise you should be doing, how often, and how much it contributes to weight loss, the answers might surprise you.In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to a Human Physiologist to learn about the interactions between diet and exercise and their impact on human health: Dr. Javier Gonzalez is an associate professor of Human Physiology at the University of Bath and also a technical advisor to the athletes in the INEOS Tour de France cycling team.Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguideTimecodes:00:00 - Intro02:00 - Episode start: quickfire round03:45 - Why does exercise matter?04:42 - How much exercise do you need to see health benefits? 05:40 - Defining exercise08:16 - How much walking to do to see health benefits?09:03 - What is cardio training & strength training?10:41 - Differences between cardio and strength training12:18 - Importance of strength training15:28 - Is exercise or nutrition more important for weight loss?18:03 - Dr. Javier’s research on fasting & exercise22:16 - Should we exercise in a fasted state?25:26 - Fasting and bone health26:35 - What can we learn from professional athletes?28:03 - How does glycogen get produced?31:55 - How does exercise relate to gut health?33:09 - What we should eat to benefit from exercise35:40 - How to think about protein intake37:26 - How should non-athletes think about food to complement their exercise40:51 - Personalization & differences between men & women43:57 - How important is exercising for menopausal women?45:56 - Summary51:42 - Goodbyes51:53 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Follow Javier: https://twitter.com/gonzalez_jtFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

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 worldwide. It's not a disease, but the effects can be just as serious for some women.Jonathan talks to the British doctor who's working to educate us about menopause and bring the discussion on the topic into the mainstream.Dr Louise Newson is a GP, menopause specialist and founder of the Newson Health Menopause & Wellbeing Center. Director of the Balance Menopause App and the non-profit Newson Health Research and Education. Founder of The Menopause Charity.Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguideTimecodes:00:00 - Intro00:09 - Jonathan Intro01:11 - Episode start01:24 - What is menopause and why is it important for Dr Louise04:17 - Being hormone-deficient is bleak07:27 - The overall scale of menopause12:41 - What is HRT?17:24 - How little menopause is talked about19:30 - Dr Louise’s push for menopause understanding & education23:02 -What’s the accurate test for perimenopause?28:10 - Understanding hormone deficiency symptoms31:58 - What else can you do besides HRT: Nutrition considerations41:09 - Does your body shape change while menopausal?41:55 - Summary44:06 - Goodbyes44:31 - OutroEpisode transcripts can be found here.Dr Louise’s non-profit organisation about improving and understanding women’s hormone health: https://www.nhmenopausesociety.orgCheck Dr Louise’s app on perimenopause and menopause: https://www.balance-menopause.comFollow Louise: https://twitter.com/drlouisenewsonFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

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 alcohol a sure path to an early grave, or could a glass of red wine be the best thing for your heart health? This episode examines these contradictions to see what the science says. Jonathan speaks to two leading scientists to better understand the effects of alcohol: Tim Spector - scientific co-founder at Zoe and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world Dr. Sarah Berry - one of the world's leading experts in human nutrition, with over 30 randomised human clinical trials to her name Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguideTimecodes:00:00 - Intro00:10 - Jonathan’s introduction01:25 - Episode start01:45 - Tim’s favourite alcohol02:24 - Is red wine healthy?04:56 - How does alcohol relate to our microbiomes?08:41 - What’s the cause of alcohol's positive effects?11:16 - The importance of the amount of alcohol consumed15:47 - Understanding the adverse effects of alcohol17:48 - Why do hangovers get worse with age?21:41 - Does alcohol influence weight?24:48 - Alcoholic beers vs non-alcoholic beers in relation to sugar28:34 - Avoid alcohol if you have these conditions!29:54 - How does fermentation of beer differ from kombucha?32:21 - Organic and natural wine35:10 - Summary38:03 - OutroFollow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberryFollow Tim: https://twitter.com/timspectorFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

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 about it. It seems obvious that something so delicious must be bad for us. Can there be any truth to the claims that chocolate can improve our mood, our health and even our libido? Jonathan speaks to Professor Tim Spector, one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists and author of the diet myth, and Spencer Hyman, one of the world’s leading chocolate experts and founder of the craft chocolate business Cocoa Runners. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguideTimecodes:00:00 - Intro00:10 - Jonathan’s introduction01:19 - Lighting round questions, with true/false answers05:49 - Why certain chocolates might be good06:34 - What is fermentation? 09:54 - Which kinds of chocolates are good or bad for you?12:14 - How to figure out the differences in chocolates 14:12 - Why is are chocolates classified the way they are16:20 - Considerations about dark chocolate20:38 - Personalized responses to chocolate23:39 - On chocolate addiction24:55 - How to taste chocolate28:10 - Is smell an indicator as to what happens in our microbiomes?31:52 - 3 things you should know when buying chocolate33:17 - Description of chocolate in nature37:15 - Sugar in chocolate40:29 - Is fruit and nut milk chocolate healthier than dark chocolate?41:27 - How much chocolate do you need for it to be beneficial?42:59 - Should I watch out for lecithins in chocolate?44:52 - Is eating half a bar of chocolate before bed a bad idea?46:24 - Goodbyes & OutroFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

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 miracle cures.However, in the last few years, we have seen a revolution in our understanding, with gut bacteria now the stars of the show. This new understanding has profound implications for how we should treat our food intolerances. Today we’ll focus on what the latest science says. Jonathan is joined by Will Bulsiewicz, board-certified gastroenterologist, New York Times best-selling author and ZOE's science board member, whose latest book is all about food intolerance.Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguideTimecodes:00:00 - Intro00:09 - Jonathan’s introduction01:29 - Quick-fire questions03:43 - What are food allergies and intolerances?10:33 - The rise of food allergies and intolerances 14:38 - Training your microbes17:13 - How do I know if I have a food intolerance? 19:37 - The difficulty of managing your diet and reintroducing foods21:26 - Can you fix these food intolerances?23:01 - The counter-intuitive approach to improving allergies and intolerances24:54 - What can parents do to prevent allergies in their children?25:39 - How do FODMAPs relate to the step by step exposure concept?26:26 - What is a FODMAP? 27:34 - FODMAP examples27:59 - FODMAP intolerance considerations29:43 - Celiac disease tests30:36 - Can FODMAPs tolerance be increased?31:40 - What is histamine intolerance and what can you do about it?40:15 - Summary44:22 - Goodbyes44:34 - OutroRead Will Bulsiewicz’s cookbook, “Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome” in all major bookstores.Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

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/